WAR OF CURRENTS

Meniscus are a band who make a style of music I would call 'ambient metal'. That is, their sound may be heavy at times, but it is never challenging. It flows gracefully over the listener, and there is never the sense or feeling that what is being heard is malefic in any way. This Austrailian band fits well into the school of post-metal, although their sound tends to favour the mellow side more than many of their contemporaries. Although they have been talked about for quite some time now, 'War Of Currents' is their legitimate debut album. A pleasantly organic and ambient musical journey, 'War Of Currents' may not innovate, but it does well to soothe a listener in ways metal rarely does.

Save for some barely audible shouts towards the end of the album, Meniscus is an instrumental act. Like many other post-metal outfits, these guys attempt to create swells of emotion and cinematic feeling simply through the use of their instruments. Meniscus is quite a typical post-metal act, and for the most part, any listener already versed in the style won't find themselves all too surprised by what the band does. With that being said, Meniscus' claim to identity seems to lie in their uncompromisingly mellow take on metal. Although Meniscus does not skirt away from sludgy metal riffs, much of their sound falls within instrumental ambient music. Atmospheric, reverb-laden guitars are the order of the day here. By overdubbing the guitars and creating a rich echo effect, Meniscus picks their music up and creates a very enveloping state with the sound. Again, 'War Of Currents' colours within the lines of post-metal, but it's difficult to fault them when they are able to pull it off so well.

Although the atmospheric side of Meniscus is executed impressively, it would have been nice to hear a little more of the 'heavy' side of this band. With heavy riffs that sound like they could have been played by Cult Of Luna, the metal element of Meniscus is never particularly deep, but when compare to the otherwise mellow journey that the rest of the music goes for, the relative heaviness is a nice breath of fresh air. This album does not stand out to me as being a fresh sound in post-metal, but I must say that 'War Of Currents' is a strong post-metal record that is almost certain to appeal to any who considers themselves a fan of the style.

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