Welcome to The Harmonic Series, a daily(ish) music review series - exclusive to Steemit - where I’ll be discussing music across many different styles and genres from metal, to electronic music, to jazz and beyond! I’ll be talking up exciting new releases, some of my personal classics, and anything else that I think is worth checking out. Some of the reviews I share will be brand new, and some will be from my personal archives. 

Read my first review for a brief mission statement on how I conduct my reviews and what to expect from the series! 

Today, I've got another great 5-track prog album for you:

SUMMIT - The Winds That Forestall Thy Return (I, Voidhanger, 2016)

Genre: Metal

Style: Prog-metal, Post-metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Sludge, Ambient

    The Winds That Forestall Thy Return was recommended by a good friend named Tim who shares very similar tastes with me in heavy music, and two particular things about this album signaled that I would like it before I listened. First, we both fawn over avant-prog-metal powerhouses such as the ever-shifting Kayo Dot (whose newest album I reviewed most recently to this), the consistently and compositionally skilled Krallice, and the bizarrely atonal Gorguts. Second, every time I come across a prog album consisting of five tracks, I get excited. Albums such as Kayo Dot’s Choirs of the Eye and Coyote, Mastery’s Valis, and Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas’ Mariner are some of the most exciting to me, as that form and structure supports a strong sense of cohesion and unity, and rarely leaves one with a forgettable piece in the bunch. 

   This album definitely feels indebted to (or at least conscious of) the bands that Tim and I share an interest in. On opening track Hymn Of The Forlorn Wayfarer - which has a name that, appropriately, recalls Kayo Dot’s Wayfarer - the band builds up to a chaotic peak about three minutes in, which drops into a much more gentle texture in a fashion similar to many moments on Choirs of the Eye. Later in the track it does much the same, albeit even sharper, and as a production trick rather than a performance one. The distinctly three-segmented form of this song almost feels medley-like, and perhaps functions as somewhat of an implied overture. This transitions seamlessly into Pale Moonlight Shadow, the only track on the album with vocals. Tellingly, Krallice’s vocalist Nick McMaster is featured here, and his lyrics give some hint to the themes and tone of this otherwise instrumental and somewhat impenetrable album. The lyrics ring religious, and speak of a dramatic moment of ascent amidst destruction. Perhaps this is the ascent of the “forlorn wayfarer” of the first track. What I can draw from this is that this character is also the subject of the two part title piece, and is still missing if the title of the final track - Aeons Pass, Memories Don’t Fade suggests their loss as it seems. It appears that this album is from the perspective of another party, but nothing more is clear. 

   The harmonic elements here are distinctly reminiscent of Krallice as well, with thick stacks of 4th’s and 5th’s in the chords, planing, and somewhat unpredictable movements. The arpeggiated ringing guitar lines are very similar to those that Gorguts write, but possibly even more so to those of one-man industrial black metal project Blut Aus Nord. Of course, this album is more than just its influences. It ties all these related but separate styles together around a core of rich guitar tones and perfectly balanced production. Bright clean guitars are interspersed with elastic and sludgy low-end, and the band extends their textures into what could ambiguously be synths or heavily processed guitars. On The Winds part one, the band takes a break from forceful and dramatic to float in a serene glacial ambience. The subtitle is apt: A Gleaming Aurora In The Northern Sky. Oddly, I found myself thinking of the beginning moments of Oneohtrix Point Never’s ambient electronic album Replica, and the quiet samples in the background enhanced that association. The general sensation of this track could be likened to vaporwave in how it seems to melt and unfold slowly.  

   They may be easy to neglect within all else going on, but the drums on this album are actually quite virtuosic. The fills are so smooth and cleanly executed that they blend perfectly into the experience, rather than fighting for attention, and their wide reverberations complement the space that the tonal parts exist in well. When things get heavy, they are one with the guitar, creating a punch that nearly any other metal band would be jealous of. The band once again returns to ambience on the final track, and the atmosphere is augmented with a sparse drum line that sounds as if it’s reverberating between canyon walls, and a slightly twangy clean guitar that inhabits the same space. The choir is at its most audible here as well, and further enriches the texture, taking the song from simply rich, to lush and expansive. 

   It’s a wonder that SUMMIT is a one man project, and produced by its composer as well. Every instrument is mixed perfectly, both in their own right and in the way they complement each other. Though this album doesn’t follow a particularly clear arc, each track flows together fairly well. The range of stylistic ideas on here is wide, and has no trouble keeping me interested. The peaks of intensity are carefully rationed out as well, and almost left me wanting more. At just 35 minutes long too, this album packs in a lot without overwhelming and teases the listener enough to keep them coming back. The Winds That Forestall Thy Return proves itself to be dynamic and engaging, and something that all fans of sludgy post-metal should check out. 

To buy or stream The Winds That Forestall Thy Return, head over to the I, Voidhanger Records Bandcamp.

-

Thanks for reading!

    If you enjoyed this review, please upvote, follow, and tell me your thoughts in the comments! I'll be using the tag #harmonicseries to keep track of these reviews, so check there for any new additions. Until next time, keep listening.