Near Grey - The Herschel Central Peak

NEAR GREY - The Herschel Central Peak
2013
Indie

The Herschel crater is located on Mimas, a moon of Saturn. Discovered in 1980, this is the largest crater in the Solar System (139 km wide) and was named after astronomer William Herschel who discovered this moon in the late 18th Century.

This historical and astronomical theme serves as the backdrop for the follow up to Near Grey's first EP, released one year earlier. An instrumental post-metal affair, the Montreal band knows exactly how to turn atmospheres into rich textures, without watering down any qualities of a live band. Take a peak at the stunning artwork that points towards the outer limits; a perfect reflection of the musical genre.

The Herschel Central Peak breathes. Its rhythm is relatively slow, without stepping into doom or drone territories, and every note and instrument seem to be joining the party at their own pace, without stress. We can distinguish very clearly all guitars, bass, synth and pedal effects, and drums; yet they blend together very smoothly. What comes to mind when I listen to The Herschel Central Peak is the notion of restraint; there are no overdose of distortion, no hard hits on the drums, no screaming (in fact there are no vocals at all), and the musicality of the album is defined by control, rather than by extreme technique or performance. First song "Sauropod" is a case in point.

Except for a few strategic moments on the album (such as in the end of "Northfield" or in "Cannulated"), there seems to be less intensity variation compared to the previous Near Grey EP, which included the beautiful 18-min long "Néant" for example. With a refined definition of the synth and keyboard sounds, and a better, or should I say "silkier" recording, The Herschel Central Peak nonetheless sounds one step above its predecessor. It includes four songs ranging between 9 and 11 minutes each, which make it ideal to journey through and to revisit.

With lavish atmospheres and chord progression (for example on "Regina"), The Herschel Central Peak is not alien to the musical universes of Russian Circles and Isis. It definitely has its own heartbeat and should draw attention to this excellent band.

Hear for yourself here: http://neargrey.bandcamp.com/album/the-herschel-central-peak