You can tell that I am becoming institutionalised within the blood-soaked ventricles of Ave Noctum’s cathedral of pain, when I start to lap myself with reviews of bands I have reviewed in the past. Not sure what to think of that but given that much of the last eighteen months or so has either passed in the proverbial blink of an eye or moved at the speed of a one-legged sloth, working to rule on his lunchbreak from his heavy day of slothing. Point is, nothing much has happened since I was last in the presence of these Polish, spellchecker nemesis Moanaa. I am sat (albeit in a different location at the bottom of my garden in a Hobbit styled office) typing on the same keyboard trying to recall what I made of their last EP. Reading it back, I seemed to be attempting to fill my arse with splinters as I not only straddled the fence of opinion, but positively force fed it into my anus sideways. Often, such fence sitting could be construed as lazy critiquing and it is, to a point, but when something fails to grab you by the throat but also fails to elicit enough ire to construct a battering ram of disapproving verbs and nouns, you’re left with a simple…ppfffff…
Anyway, what’s in the past is in the past and of course it would be churlish to not give this new full-length effort, the benefit of the doubt. So, with fresh ears and preconceptions hung in the hallway, we move forward. What is immediately apparent is that these Polish lads, have upped the ante in respect to the overall feel and production on this their new album Embers. It sounds fucking massive and belies its relatively humble origins. I have said this before and at the risk of repeating myself, production values, do need to be viewed from a different standpoint than say 30 years ago. Back then, only the rock star producers such as say Mutt Lang or Bob Rock could get anyway near a sound that would jump off your turntable and eviscerate your ears. But top-notch recording techniques are now available to one and all courtesy of Sir John Internet and as such, even the most hum drum and moribund of musical endeavours can come replete with a veneer of sonic respectability.
I found Moanaa’s last effort decent enough, but it was such a hotch-potch of musical styles (everything including shoegaze, indie, death and tinges of black metal as well as smatterings of alt rock), that it seemed to have been designed by committee to try and appeal to everyman (or woman) and his dog. Album opener ‘Nothing’, spills out of the gates like an untethered roll of intestines, and as far as an album opener it’s an impressive opening effort. It’s a mid-tempo, grinding, brooding monster of a tune that comes across as a strong indicator of what is to follow. The band seemed to have hit upon a musical style that fits and suits them and rather than strike out in several different directions (as per their last release) they stay in lane (mostly) and have crafted some mid paced belters that are laced with a few blast beats and double bass work here and there. I’m trying to pin my finger on who Moanaa’s natural musical bedfellows would be, to offer a useful comparison from a musical perspective.
Given my predilection for all things post (hardcore/metal etc.) it does seem to share commonality and themes with post rock/metal, with shimmering, glacial riffs, hovering into view before disappearing in a puff of smoke, which lends some of the more blunt and straight forward metallic riffs on offer here an air of disquiet, depth, and mystery. Think Alice in Chains jamming Cult of Luna/Zozobra whilst wearing Isis (the band) t-shirts. And whilst it would be to do an injustice to those bands by offering a direct comparison with what Moanaa have created, I have to say that this album is a vast improvement on their previous effort. It’s as if the band have found their mojo and identity which is reflected in the song writing and craft behind most of this album. Certainly, Moanaa are not the finished article but seeing as they have begun to find their own voice, I would imagine that they will continue to shed some of the more agricultural and, on the nose, metallic influences on display here and continue down the rabbit hole of the more expansive and ethereal aspects of their musical oeuvre. Given the journey this band are on, I will be first in the queue with my hand-held high, pitching to review whatever they create next.
(8/10 Nick Griffiths)
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