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Released on January 30, 2015 via Svart Records
It has been almost six years since the release of Providence, Callisto’s third and most opinion-diving album. The band has grown immensely since the early stages of their career (True Nature Unfolds and Noir). Do not take me wrong though. Their first two releases are brilliant and remain as two of the best post-metal efforts. However, their sound is so much broader and intricate and Secret Youth proves it. “Progressive noise rock” is how the band describes their sound. Quite accurate I would say.
‘Pale Pretender’ and ‘Backbone’ (the first song that was released) are a great way to start things off. The mood is set. There is a perfect balance of the aggressiveness, growling vocals (on ‘Backbone’), the crunching guitars and pounding drums we are used to from the earlier efforts and also the clean melodic vocals and smooth guitar leads introduced on their third album, Providence.
Next up is ‘Acts’, which stands out for its beautiful harmonies and catchiness almost in an Opeth-like way. The interlude ‘Dead Layer’ then leads the way to ‘Lost Prayer’ with its dark and intense vibe and refined musicianship.
One of the standout tracks is ‘Breast of Mothers’, which starts with a very strong and heavy bassline, which guides us smoothly into fantastic guitar riff and Janis’ beautiful vocals. Everything falls into place perfectly.
The thumping bass on ‘Grey Light’ take us into its twisting and twirling melodies and then slowly simmers until culminating in a sheer display of dark aggressiveness. Next up is ‘Ghostwritten’, which would perfect fit on Providence. It is the longest track (over 7 minutes). It also contains one of the strongest choruses on the whole album. You have got to love the droney doomy ending and the return of the growls.
‘Old Souls’, the second interlude, is solely composed of growling vocals and ambient electronics, and opens way for the blissful closer ‘Dam’s Lair Road’. This is hands down the best track on the whole album (and possibly Callisto’s career). Just listen to it for yourself.
This is not the album you should be looking for if you want post-metal by the numbers. There is so much more depth to their sound that it would be unfair to label them with such a simple term. Callisto have proven here that great bands are not the ones who create the same album over and over again, but the ones who are willing to take risks and throw curveballs.
Let’s hope they can come back sooner next time and surprise us again.
