Ik vraag me al meer dan een jaar af of je in het postmetalgenre nog wel interessante bands/releases kan tegenkomen, of het genre niet totaal uitgemolken is. Dan val ik op een band als E-L-R en weet dat we nog ver van het einde zijn. Deze 'male backed' band uit Zwitserland doet dan geen nieuwe dingen, maar wat ze doen, dat doen ze verdomme héél goed. Spelen met dynamiek en sferen, tijd nemen en ruimte laten (wat te denken van de 3'25" durende intro alvorens het geweld losbarst) en tussen al het instrumentaal geweld toch ergens subtiel zang verwerken. Knap gedaan.
Vexier verschijnt op 11 maart via Prophecy Productions
Luister ook naar:
Seeds
Lees
E-L-R's sophomore full-length "Vexier" oscillates elegantly between velvet darkness and flaring bursts of high energy. The style of the Swiss has been dubbed 'doomgaze' and 'post-metal' and both terms apply loosely to the trio's meandering, down-tempo doom-epics. E-L-R's hypnotic phrases that are constantly varied and warped in repeating loops are reminiscent of shamanic rituals imbued with psychedelic colours. The trio weaves a subtle tapestry with diligence and persistence that depicts a labyrinth full of intricate details and hidden treasures. "Vexier" does not give up its secrets easily and there are many shifts and twists hiding in its sonic shadows as implied by the title that derives from the Latin word "vexare" meaning "to plague, to irritate" and in German a 'Vexierbild' means a flip-flop image while in some dialects a 'Vexier' is a puzzle game. E-L-R were conceived by bass-player I.R. and guitarist S.M., who both also took on vocal duties in the German Swiss city of Bern in 2016. They were soon joined by another friend, drummer M.K., whose emotive and intricate style proved to be the perfect fit. The release of their debut album "Mænad" (2019) was greeted with widespread acclaim by critics and fans alike. With "Vexier", E-L-R take another decisive step forward and invite the listener on an adventurous journey through their fascinating and multi-dimensional musical cosmos.
