The Pitch: Finnish post-metal/sludge band Mireplaner deliver a deeply atmospheric, powerful debut album. FFO: LLNN, The Lion's Daughter, Cult Of Luna
What I Like: Mireplaner are a band very much willing to take their time. The ambience of opening track, "Deadweights," lingers like an ominous, rising smoke over its nearly 6 minute duration. And as they say, where there's smoke there's fire. I get annoyed with seemingly obligatory intros, but with A Mountain of Saola Hooves, every moment is purposeful. All of that buildup makes the explosion that is "The Elkhorn Coral" all the more impactful. And to quote the Log Lady, "When this kind of fire starts, it is very hard to put out." At varying levels of heat intensity, this blaze of sludgy guitars and howling vocals consumes everything in its path, dying down to post-metal embers just long enough on "Morass" to lull the listener into a false sense of security. The longest track on the album; it's also arguably the most dynamic and engaging. From the perfectly punctuated transitions to the deliciously groovy closing riff, Mireplaner are no mere novices when it comes to songwriting. Furthermore, the production on this album is every bit as massive as their major label peers, yet with only a tiny fraction of the support.
Critiques: I've got virtually nothing negative to say about this album. It's not necessarily doing anything new for the genre, but as is a common phrase in my reviews, they're doing it better than most.
The Verdict: If you loved The Lion's Daughter's first album or just in general enjoy well-paced, powerful sludge, you should absolutely pick up A Mountain of Saola Hooves. Mireplaner are every bit as talented as the heavy-hitters in the genre and deserve the same level of attention. Buy it now on their Bandcamp. It's out and streaming full today.
Flight's Fav's: The Elkhorn Coral, Morass, Knees Cicatrised
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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