“It’s shite being Scottish.” The more time that passes from the release of Trainspotting the more it seems this is the most accurate line from the illustrious acting career of Ewan McGregor. As a fan of heavier and weird bands every time I see a UK gig announcement with the middle of England being the furthest northern date the more the phrase burns in my mind. Be it Brexit, Covid or the cost of capitalism/living crisis, the border can feel as impenetrable as Hadrian’s Wall due to the costs to get here and then the costs for fans to show up. However, if you are a fan of dissonance and post-metal there are a few fires of hope burning on our own soil and one of the brightest is Edinburgh’s Codespeaker. With Scavenger the band is truly putting the metal into post-metal and marking themselves as a unique sound in the UK crowd.
I have rambled numerous times about the post-ISIS copycat days of the latter 2000’s and how great it is to be clear of that. Codespeaker reaffirms my belief that musical creativity within post-metal is at an all time high. Having produced a stunning debut album with its self-titled release two years ago, Codespeaker have returned with 3 new members and while still being full of the sounds that made it so alluring to me there is an added intensity on Scavenger. The riff that opens ‘Rescission’ is not the kind predominantly found in post-metal but when it gets wrapped in the dense atmosphere it feels right at home.
There isn’t one singular post-metal influence that you could pin on the band or album but there are flashes that remind me of the metallic post-metal take of earlier The Ocean albums. That is evident in the main riff in ‘Signum’ or the angular introduction to ‘Samsa’ but never is the guitar left alone to elevate above the misty atmosphere which anchors the sound well into post-metal.
Another great feature of the album is the pace, whilst having moments of calm there is still an overbearing sense of anticipation and when the riffs are crunching the drums are driving the pace too. Scavenger is a triumph of sonic manipulation as no two songs tread deeply over the same ground. The double kick in ‘Enso’ along with some guest vocals from Chad Kapper from Frontierer have it stand out, especially when contrast to following track ‘Karst’ which has a dense pensive build up and only introduces vocals in the final quarter. It is also worth pointing out the vocal delivery of Greg Armstrong is phenomenal. The vocals fit in perfectly and the screams are very musically in tune providing another devastating layer to the wondrous atmosphere.
Scavenger is a triumph and Codespeaker has gone from strength to strength. To replace so much of the line up and still contain an identity and stride forward is a wondrous achievement. This album never treads on the toes of those in the genre and has touches of a unique take on post-metal without feeling unfamiliar. The eight tracks are superbly well executed and captured beautifully by Pedram Valiani (Frontierer/Sectioned) to make this one of the finest post-metal albums to have come from Scotland.
