I do love a happy accident when bandcamp trawling. Filed under the post-metal tag I discovered Kollaps\e and thought the Danish post trio had amended its name. Instead what was waiting for me was two tracks of suprem post-metal from Sweden which referenced countrymen Cult of Luna and Breach as influences. Those are two huge bands to aim towards and The Pandemic Sessions gives them a right good chase with two superb tracks which are constantly crushing and heavy without getting too bogged down in the tracks tread by its influences.
Kollaps\e doesn’t hang about and both tracks burst straight into it. ‘Radiant//Static’ has huge flavours of Breach in the opening tones but as it develops it reminds me of The Old Wind which stretched the hardcore of Breach into more of a post-metal form. Indeed there are tiny hints of the Cult of Luna spaciousness during some breakdowns but both tracks avoid going too far into the glacial spacious silence that Cult of Luna likes to inhabit. The result keeps both tracks under five minutes but allows for plenty of development and engagement with the ideas the band has conjured.
The tone has a great familiarity as it doesn’t escape the sound fellow countrymen have mastered before. Whilst it’s not pouring out originality the tracks still offer an excellent mix of the harder ends of post-metal and will bring excitement to any fan of the genre. I really look forward to seeing what is next and it really fills a void in the sharper end of post-metal.
