drowning in post-metal sound.

i have been a fan of Isis for quite some time now. i think they started blowing me away with their music around 2004, its a bit late but it's better late than never, right?

their album Oceanic still keeps me in a trance when i listen to it; the heavy atmosphere and droning melodies just envelops you and keeps you there. Panopticon is the definitive post-metal album, nuff said. and the album In The Absence of Truth is the perfect progression of the sound that they have developed in Oceanic. whenever i need to drown myself with heavy sounds, i listen to them.

but lately, i've been wanting of listening to new soundscape that is still in the realm of post-metal. not that i am getting tired of listening to Isis, coz i think that would not happen really soon, but more of the need to hear what's more out there. the post-metal genre is quite new, but from what i read on forums and reviews, there are really good post-metal bands out there. just waiting to be listened to.

so, i googled some of the more known post-metal bands and i kinda got interested in a couple. Cult of Luna and Pelican. so i downloaded got a copy of some of their albums and listened to them, and so far so good.

Cult of Luna is from sweden (where all those symphonic metal bands came from. hehe.), and in first listen, you might think that they are an Isis rip-off, but they do have their own style and approach to the post-metal sound. their vocals are more of the "doom metal" style and their heavy guitars usually have orchestral interludes (i think a lot of swedish metal bands do this often). the album Somewhere Along The Highway is a great listen as well as the heavier Salvation album.

Pelican on the other hand is an intrumental band. 2 guitars, a bass, a drumkit. no vocals. and their sound is awesomeness. the 20-minute song March into the Sea is my new favorite post-metal song for now; an epic dynamics of sludgy guitars and post-rock riffs morphing into acoustic, piano and flute textures. totally pulls your hair out.

albums of both bands are now on heavy rotation (can i call it that?) on my ipod. Cult of Luna's Somewhere Along The Highway is a great album to listen to when on the road and i listen to Pelican's March into the Sea when i need to zen myself or when i need to be in the zone when i'm writing programming codes.

if you haven't heard any of this bands, i suggest giving them a try. the vocals on Cult of Luna (as well as Isis, Neurosis and the like) are an acquired taste, so if you don't like 'em growling, Pelican is the better choice.

rakenrol.