The vast, avant garde reaches of post-metal has had an increase of influence for the past couple of decades or so and includes a presence that originated from other genres. The constantly evolving subunit of metal incorporated elements found in the doom, alternative, black metal and hardcore roots for many years, with an effort consisting of various artists. Morari is one such project that fits the description. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, this new and relatively little known two-piece independent band creates its own flair through the culmination of black metal and shoegaze (or "blackgaze" for short). Most recently, this California project released its debut full-length album titled The Light. With that being said, let's get right into it.
The Light is a 47-minute long post-metal or blackgaze release consisting of seven tracks. Released just a couple of weeks ago, this new album contains many of the makings of an ambient experience. The themes revolve around wandering in blindless in the absence of light, so to speak. A lot of messages related to hopelessness, fear and pain also apply to the overall concept.
This release is very strong instrumentally, with a subtle and slow, yet droning and melodic approach being present for the most part and throughout. The Light never gets too particularly loud or too noticeable soft, with its grim tone as well as its dark sections mixed with the atmospheric undertones. The vocals have a bit of variety here and there...switching from visceral black metal shrieks to clean singing vox and so forth. The production quality is very stellar and goes great with the music, with guitar tones and drumming patterns all sounding very capable and transitioning accordingly. In all, the album possesses some progressive aspects as well, with songs such as "Darkest Hour" and "Breathing" showcasing many of the stronger and creative elements of this release.
The songs themselves feel a bit overly lengthy and endless, with some stuff being filler. A few sections of the album could've been cut out or used for other songs. In addition, I wish more could've been done with the clean vocal and singing aspects of the album. The Light is also a "slow burn" sort of album, which works to its advantage a lot of the time. However, the droning becomes repettitive at times as well.
In conclusion, The Light ultimately left me with a lot of mixed vibes and feelings. Many of the things in this release I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the little flaws here and there. It is a slow moving ambient release with stellar instrumentals, interesting concepts and eclectic vocals...making it sort of a mixed experience. And, although I don't consider myself the biggest fan of blackgaze or post-metal, I'd still recommend this album to a friend.
Fave Tracks: "Darkest Hour", "Breathing"
**The Light by Morari is available now on Bandcamp!**
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Review by: Dave Raffy
-Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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