BRONTIDE

"Artery" is the second outing by the UK trio Brontide and although it doesn't have the same diverse range of genres and styles that their debut "Sans Souci" displays, it makes up for it by feeling more concise in the compositional department, with more bridges to connect developing themes and less frantically jumping from motif to motif.

"Tonitro" begins with an atmospheric buildup but the whole song feels like a buildup. Even when the guitars and drums enter halfway through, there's no real climax. Sure, there's technically an ending, but it feels like a false alarm as the music fades to electronic noise. Only as it segues into "Bare My Bones" do we actually have a a feeling of a proper intro. Yes, there's more buildup here, but this one actually feels tangible. It grooves, it sings, the guitar tones have a proper place and feel, the melody drives drives you on in a triumphant manner as the drums rock out behind a swath of power chords. And yet it's only halfway through when the drums cut and the snare begins a furious assault do we get a climax. The resulting breakdown is intoxicating. It's such a great groove and it becomes instantly memorable, something that was rather lacking on the debut record. Sure the other half of the song is a melodic soundscape with plucking, wilting guitars, but it's that 30 seconds of pure rock awesomeness in the middle that makes the previous seven or so minutes totally worth it.

"Kith and Kin" decides to go in a different direction that the band has never gone before, more in the realm of indie alt rock stylings, and it works. Interspersing with some calm post rock passages and finishing with a groovy electronic beat at the end, rather minimalist but still a pleasant track, while "Cabin" gets funky with some disco beats to underpin their post rock sound.

"Knives" is the longest track on the record and the most straightforward, lengthy soft passages building to loud climaxes and the drums being the forefront the entire time even to the very end, even channeling Mastodon in some chords in the middle, a far cry from "Still Life" which features no drums at all, just minimalist guitar plucking, almost evoking an early emo vibe a la American Football. Nice.

"Caramel" is short and sweet, much like the candy namesake, which features one long buildup to the very end that wouldn't feel out of place on a pop punk record (can totally imagine Jonny Craig on vocals there), while the album concludes with "Red Gold", another guitar showpiece, with the song's signature thematic motif rising above the building guitars in minimalist fashion, going out in a blaze of glory roughly three minutes in before the remainder of the track is followed with ambient noise and bird calls (also one of the few non Christmas songs to feature sleigh bells as well, fun fact).

All in all, another great record from this plucky English trio. Sure, in terms of musicality, it's nowhere near the showcase of abilities that "Sans Souci" is, but in terms of songwriting, these songs are better. This album has more memorable moments that are worth second and even third listens (and my god, the peak of "Bare My Bones" just never gets old). In that regard, it's a more polished album that its predecessor and hopefully should this band follow up with a third release, it could combine the best of both albums and knock it out of the park, because these guys totally have that ability.

4.5

Brontide is one of those bands that that neatly balances several genres so well, that to classify them is nearly a herculean task. On here, the band is placed in the Post-Rock/Math-Rock category, and to be fair their sound is a blend of both.

"Matador", the opening salvo off their debut "Sans Souci", starts off atmospheric, then slowly creeps in with repetitive guitar licks and some funky drumming for a bit. Some distorted chords dart in and out, but for the most part it's fairly stable. It's not hectic and unpredictable like Don Caballero, but it's not as minimalistic at times like, say, Battles or Explosions in the Sky. Tension begins to build with some atonal chord teases and progressions towards the end, building up to some beefy distorted power chords before segueing into "Limehosue Ink". Here's where it gets busy, and properly heavy. The first 40 seconds is crushingly foreboding, before the drums lurch into a quick flurry of blastbeats to get your attention. It's properly heavy, but then it cuts out to a hi hat keeping beat, while the guitar gradually fades into a lick, adding a new note each bar before the guitar begins a minimalistic and repetitive motion (a la Steve Reich) before the drums begin a nice groovy syncopated pattern. This takes up most of the middle section before the heavy metal returns and closes with a proper, actual breakdown (you know, the thing that was all the rage with post-hardcore and pop-punk bands between like '07-'12? Classic).

The breakdown fades away as the drum keeps going to start off "Jura" which begins with a really funky guitar lick and maintains a lighter mood overall than "Limehouse Ink". Roughly two and a half minutes in, the distortion kicks in and kicks up a notch for a good minute before it fades away to a solo guitar once again closing out with a nice haunting melody. "Arioso" is all over the board, with math-y time changes, somber atmospheric passages, some unique guitar filters and a sort of punk/surf rock homage in the middle? This track is a bit rough with some long atmospheric passages and some atonal distortion near the end, it's a buffet for fans of post/math rock.

"Bob Mundon" kicks off with a soaring, ascending lick like you'd hear starting off a Between The Buried And Me song. This song features the drums as the star, as the song is constantly moving, chugging riffs and drums like a train out of control before the song fades in a flash with chugging punk, almost Mastodon-esque riffs. "Bespoke" begins where "Mundon" left off. After a slow intro, the song barrels forward with syncopated riffs and beats before it fades to atmospheric nothingness for the second half of the song.

"Tenbytwobyfour" screams math rock, in more ways than one. The distortion is completely absent for the first half of the song, as the guitars and drums noodle along frenetically. The distorted chords midway seem to give an anchor or sense of stability, but this song is about as edgy and dissonant as they come. Some mechanical passages towards the end add a unique spin on the typical sound (almost a bit 90's King Crimson esque) before a brief spastic charge towards the end before the band gets tuckered out and finished with an atmospheric fadeaway into nothing.

The self-titled final song is the longest clocking in at just over ten minutes and as such is slow to build up. After a minute and a half of noise, the band creeps in at a rhythmically minimalist pace. Halfway in the distorted guitars return and chug along at a leisurely pace before fading away once again in a minimalist atmosphere of sound. This song is post-rock in a nutshell, ordered, structured and not at all unpredictable.

Overall, this band is an amalgram of post rock and math rock vibes. Each song for the most part as a main identity, but contains influences from multiple genres rolled together in a fairly cohesive package. For the post rock fan that wants a bit more excitement, but more order than typical math rock, this album is worth a listen.