Release
date: July 17th 2015. Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl
The
Golden Veil: Tracklisting
1.I
Was Sitting Quietly, Peeling Back My Skin 04:04
2.Breathe
08:41
3.The
Immortal 07:02
4.We
Are Coiled ** 04:57
5.The
Absurdist 07:27
6.The
Architect 11:12
7.In
the Final Moments, Uncoiling ** 08:33
Band
Members:
Scott
Endres - guitar, synthesizers, vocals
Spencer
Lee - bass, vocals
Matt
Stevenson - drums, beats
Review:
MAKE
return with their 2nd full length album – The Golden Veil. The
Golden Veil is a very different album to Trephine with the band
focusing more on harsher environments with a more experimental vibe.
If you‘re a fan of Trephine you’ll find a lot to admire here. As
MAKE continue creating another epic musical Sludge/Post-Metal journey
for you to immerse yourself with.
Opening
track – I Was Sitting Quietly, Peeling Back My Skin – opens with
pounding and ambient driven noises slowly appearing in the
background. A slowly played acoustic guitar feels like a warning
that something dangerous is coming your way as the song quietly ends
in the background with industrial atmospherics leaving you wanting
more.
Second
track – Breathe – offers a more familiar sound from MAKE as the
Post-Metal atmospherics appear to continue the epic riffs that feel
they’ve originated from Trephine. The post-rock theatrics blend
superbly with the death based growls as MAKE their appearance known.
MAKE have added a twisted style of Psychedelic Sludge Metal as it has
a sheer scale of menace with intelligence to match.
Third
song – The Immortal – continues the cinematic post-rock theatrics
with lead vocalist Scott offering a more haunting outlook on life.
The music starts at a slow pace but slowly builds to loud volumes
that should have fans of Neurosis happy for the next 7 mins or so.
The music is complex through out as MAKE have written lyrics that
have a hidden depth of emotion to them. The final few minutes of the
song sees MAKE unleash epic and heavy progressive riffs that will
leave you in a bleak mood.
Fourth
Track – We Are Coiled – is an instrumental ambient/post rock
driven affair with the band opting for a “Less Is More” approach
as the Sludge/Post-Metal riffs are kept to a minimum. This song could
have come from Scott’s solo project – The Pod. The ambient noises
and effects drive this song to its natural conclusion of peace and
solitude.
Fifth
Track – The Absurdist – opens with another Post-Rock interlude
with delicate guitars played against the intelligent drumming and
Scott’s clean based vocals offering a more surreal slice of music
for you to experience. MAKE finally unleash heck on earth towards the
end of the song with thunderous post-metal riffs and it comes at the
right time. As the album has remained fairly silent for so long that
and it’s good to see MAKE finally return to the early mood of the
album where the mood was violent and destructive to the very end. The
song ends without a word of warning and you’re plunged back into
the almost silent post-rock driven world.
For
the sixth track – The Architect – MAKE play slow-paced guitars
with ambient noises offering a more drone based atmosphere compared
to the other songs. It’s the longest song on the album at 11 mins
and it’s a song that can be classed as two halves. The first half
being – Ambient/Drone Post Rock and the second being the
nightmarish Sludge/Post-Metal well almost Post-Black Metal as the
brutal vocals take things into another direction. MAKE continue
experimenting with sonic based noises and rhythms as The Architect
firmly leaves a lasting impression on you.
The
final track – In the Final Moments, Uncoiling – captures the full
tone of the album perfectly. Ambient/Post-Rock noises matched against
the heavier and more disturbing Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom & Gloom
theatrics. It sees MAKE venture into the realm that Godflesh
perfected many years ago. It’s to the bands credit this song whilst
mostly bleak, offers a sense of hope and optimism with the haunting
riffs that are played in the background.
Looking
back on this album, MAKE have created something very different to
Trephine and that’s a good thing. It maybe more Ambient/Post-Rock
orientated to Trephine but it doesn’t stop The Golden Veil becoming
slightly more dangerous and even more adventurous than their
celebrated debut album. The Golden Veil is already starting to win
these guys major acclaim and it’s not hard to see why. The Golden
Veil is a challenging and even frustrating album to listen to at
times but there’s no denying it’s a powerful statement of intent
from one of the rising stars of the Sludge/Post-Metal world.
Thanks
to MAKE for the promo. The Golden Veil is out to buy now on DD/Vinyl.
Words
by Steve Howe
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