I love the sound of this album---it was recorded completely in analogue and that difference can definitely be heard. According to their bandcamp page, the band wanted it to sound as "live" as possible. As far as my humble opinion is concerned, they pulled it off and then some.
The production and mix has such a warm sound to it; the instruments envelope me in the way that few albums this year have. The songwriting is truly impressive. It is expansive and imaginative while not having any bloat to it. Everything is exactly where it should be, a process that results in smooth flowing music despite how formless it truly is.
I can't help but feel the music and the song titles go hand in hand.....maybe it's my imagination running wild but my explanations of why I think this way will also help explain why the songs are impressive so here it goes.
From my very limited understanding, "Carrera," is Spanish for race and its a brand from the Porsche automobile. The beginning starts off with clean, repeating tones that are also laced with urgency....like cars gearing up for the beginning of a race. As the race starts, the riffs push ever forward, offering a path to the end. The intensity ramps up, especially with the bass and drums, as the heat of the moment (race) reaches a climax.
The middle part of the song is great, a funky movement of interesting drums and bass that takes the drivers seat. The serenity of the music creates an image in my brain of the racers in near perfect synchronization with each other as the race is so tight.
"Suspense," begins more straightforward, the guitars acting as the initial focus but keeping the music atmospheric. As the suspension and tension builds, the riffs get more intense. The rhythm section takes a more direct approach as well, the bass and drums both providing much dense focus.
The music offers trepidation as it rolls up and down across tempos and dynamics, offering up post layers among more metal oriented landscapes.
"Snjør" is the next song and it is Icelandic for snow. The mood in the beginning is light, innocent and hopeful. People often look at the coming of colder weather as a chance to spend long nights with loved ones or friendships. The first half of the song gives off the desire to bundle up against the chill in front of a warm fire around those who make us smile. But that light snow builds up to a thicker fall but still white and cleansing.
A "Filament" could be described as a single threadlike object. The way the song unfolds is is indeed as if a thread was pulled. The beginning is deep base surrounded by warm, clean tones. It unfurls naturally from there, with the guitars taking a heavier path alongside the drums but the bass, the first part of the thread, is still there and pulling the song along with it.
As the music builds upon it self and grows more tangled, I notice the instruments compliment each other more as a singular unit. An example of this is the part around the 4:45 mark when the drums and riffs both increases their energy at the same time.
"Arrakis," ends the album with what I can only assume is an ode to the Dune universe. This is the heaviest and most sinister sounding song on the album. Arrakis is obviously a dangerous planet so it only makes sense for the music to present that tone. Some of the most vibrant and hard driven bass is presented on this song but the guitars offer a lot of personality that adds dynamics to the song.
Grindeye's "Bloom" is an album that remains consistently engaging from the first note to the last. It has many stories to tell and the depth for people to get different things out of it.
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