Montreal is the place where everything can happen.
From the indie rock of Arcade Fire to the amazing post rock of GY!BE to the blues of Leonard Cohen, Montreal has long been heralded for its thriving, colorful music scene. Among the best gems that shine in this great city Near Grey is making a name with its very bass-heavy sound, atmospheres and metal riffs. Near Grey is an instrumental post-metal band from, obviously, Montreal in Canada, that has just written, recorded and mixed a great album that deserves our attention. After their superb self-titled EP, the four Canadian guys (two guitars, drum and bass) are back with The Herschel Central Peak that is their first full length record and will please all sludge and post-metal lovers.
The Herschel Central Peak is an epic collection of just four songs taking you on a journey of about 40 minutes of drum vibes and post-metal riffs that remind the style of huge bands such as my beloved Russian Circles. Somewhere their music has also some ambient post-rock sounds that appear unexpected and I welcomed these like sunbeams.
Do all of the songs on The Herschel Central Peak fit together, and make a cohesive album? Absolutely yes. But it’s also true that whenever you can pick one song from it, it will rock by its own.
The album kicks off with ‘Sauropod’ and as soon as you’ll press play you’ll feel the album's mood. The opening dark chord is captivating and makes you waiting for something more. It’s like if you are on top of a reef aiming to fly. And you’ll experience that flight with the post rocky sound that stands right in the middle of this 11 minutes overture. I love the second half of the song where the sound becomes heavier, like a dark colour surrounding you while you float in dark waves of sound. It is a brilliant track with a perfect balance between dark and light moments.
Melancholic is the tag for the following tracks ‘North Field’ and ‘Cannulated’ where gentle melody is built over a growling bassline. Both have a slow start and then they increase in intensity and the crescendo is superb, before dissolving softly. 'Cannulated' is the most post rocky song of the album and I particularly like the drum that predominates the second part of the song.
'Regina' has a slow and melodic start that transmits a certain sense of sadness and desolation that is not easy to describe. The repetition of just one dark chord arrives directly to my heart and even if it hurts me, it is so damn beautiful. The first time I listened to it was during a train journey and the running images from the window combined with these notes are unforgettable and feed my melancholic nature. 'Regina' is brilliant not only for the beautiful metal riffs but because it also creates atmosphere and holds it together with memorable melodies and musical themes.
'Regina' closes off The Herschel Central Peak, a superb album and a wonderful experience that will numb your mind and if you like this kind of music I've no doubt that you’ll love this album, exactly like I did.
