Gifts from Enola - From Fathoms
Rating
RIYL
Russian CirclesIf These Trees Could Talk
Beware of Safety
Release Date
06/23/2009
Label
The Mylene SheathTracklist
BenthosWeightless Frame
Weightless Thought
Trieste
Resurface
Melted Wings
Thawed Horizion
Aves
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From Fathoms is terrific. Its quality is the first of its species in a while, making its near-flawless post-metal sprawl simply gargantuan. What other adjectives could be dished out in praise? “Powerful?” “Moving?” “Abysmal?” One could probably even use the word “terrifying” after the 12 minute “Trieste” finishes its gnashing. Either way, it is clear that the album is an instrumental band’s juicy chef d'oeuvre – and that enthusiasts should and will consume it without question.
The masterminds behind this piece of work are Virginia band Gifts From Enola. The sextet has achieved an increased sense of cohesiveness since 2006’s release Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind, and it pays off on From Fathoms. As soon as the inception of “Benthos’” first climax effulges, it becomes evident that the band understands dexterous and unified song-writing. Despite standing on genre ceremony for the most part, each song is unmistakably passionately crafted, making for an above average listen; think If These Trees Could Talk with more intricacy.
The “Trieste” monster proves this point. The track begins with the post-rock standard of almost oriental guitar notes over a nebulous background atmosphere of distant noise and tumbles into an intense point two minutes in with all instruments firing at full force. It glides through a series of peaks and valleys in the same vein as the opening portion, but begins a buildup more notable than previous ones at the five minute mark. One ascending minute later, the anticipation can no longer contain its pressure. Like a grand release of urine after being held in for hours, the accumulation erupts in a volcanic display of open-chord, chug-chug violence, destroying every rule of calm post-rock in one wild segment.
Every carefully constructed stint gets just as loud, though not necessarily as savage. “Weightless Frame” begins with airy electronics before blasting off into beautiful hard rock, while follow-up “Weightless Thought” contrasts neatly by opening with abstract indie instrumentation. It too later builds into a more organized climax, however, perhaps hinting at some relation between the tracks’ concepts.
Shout-outs to metal are the most interesting subtleties to be discovered. The signature double-bass is never used even in the fiercest of breakdowns, but foggy screams (made murky on purpose to maintain rawness) can be fished out amongst the music. “Benthos” first introduces them in its waning notes, and listeners can then discover them in various other spots throughout the album. Though they never span a period of more than 5 seconds, they’re ear candy because they reveal the extent to which Gifts From Enola draws from metal and heap more wood into the bonfire of a moment’s ferocity.
Heavy music fans are often heard complaining about vocals ruining what could have been great music. In this case, From Fathoms is a solution. It combines beauty with all the barbaric extremity anyone could want in a hard rock album, all the while keeping vocals at a minimum, and everything else at a resounding success. “Soar up above the rest, and swim up past the sun…” the single page lyric booklet reads, and that is exactly what this is – a triumph story of a new generation of post-rock, claiming its rightful place with the coming of another full-length as a genre elite.
--Matthew Tsai
Comments
PA
CD rules! I love "Weightless Frame". Such a cool song.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
San Jose, CA
Yeah breathtaking album. Contender for AOTY for sure.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Milwaukee, WI
For me, Enola has just been very average. They are good, but I think there are a lot of groups that do what they do better (namley the latest If These Trees Could Talk). It's a soilid release, but it's not great for me.
read my reviews @useless randomness
My Top Picks of 2009
PA
That's funny because I thought the new If These Trees Could Talk was extremely cliche.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)