Crystal clear tones distinguish the post metal sound. Amniac are from Greece and this is their genre, as deliberate notes strike forth and create patterns. There’s more than an air of Cult of Luna about this. The trick is in how you develop the patterns. “Rise like the Suns”, goes one of the track titles, and in it there are patterns of intricate beauty, which work on the emotions.
The start is classic for the genre. The clear tones give way to harshness. Progress is steady but intriguing. “And the Others just Survive” is pungent, but enriched by those clear instrumental tones and a sense of progression. It has good shape. In fact shapes emerge out of existing shapes like fractals, which is why “Rise like the Suns” is so good. The drum beats with clarity while the guitar has that isolated tone of “And the Others just Survive” before developing and expanding and once again retracting into calm progression. There is an instrumental story being told, but as the guitar rings faintly, it’s something ethereal and cosmic. Duly hypnotised, an explosive wave comes along and we’re treated to a powerful and expansive musical riot. Yet it’s heavily controlled. Reflection and something approaching minimalism is the order of the day on the short “Discerning” before pushing on melancholically into “The Infinite”. The growling vocals did not enhance this over controlled and circular track, which has a sort of hypnotic beauty but did not reflect the enormity that you might expect of a track called “The Infinite”. This said, there’s an interesting break and as the drum continues to chug along, the circular motions and atmosphere pick up in tension. I have to say that The Ocean do this sort of thing better. “A System Waiting to Fall” is playful, in a post metal way and experimental as it treads through harshness before taking on a militaristically marching tone. Sounds emerge from sounds. I just wondered if the patterns were becoming too intricate. “A System Waiting to Fall” is dynamic and hypnotic to a degree but so multi-dimensioned as to be bewildering. “Our Kind, The Plague” is no less harsh but has a more “come on inside if you dare” atmosphere than “A System Waiting to Fall”. It’s strong and with a constant beat, strikes out in its own way but then half way in, captures the scene with a majestic uplift before descending into deep doom. The final thrust sees Amniac pick up the pace, the pitch and the melody. It’s all rather mystifying and I’m not just referring to the abrupt end.
It’s evident that careful thought has gone into these tracks and their progression. Credit is due for that. The problem I had was that some of the tracks fell between songs, post metal atmosphere and a self-indulgent exploration, which smacked of abundant ideas but had an absence of thematic cohesion. The plus point is that although having similarities to Cult of Luna, Amniac stand on their own and seem to be making an independent stand with their music, which is always welcome.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
https://www.facebook.com/AmniacBand
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