Release
date: May
18th
2018.
Label: Self
Released.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Last
Knell Of Om –
Tracklisting
1.Transmission
2.New
Growth
3.We
Answer 08:12
4.To
Soil
5.Ruminations
6.Ephemera
/ Stare Through The Deep
Members
Adam
Asquith - Drums/Vocals
Alex
Clarke - Guitar
Lewis
Crane - Guitar
James
Atha - Bass
Review
Morag
Tong debut album - Last Knell Of Om - is one of those rare albums
that show waves of huge psychedelic creativity throughout the entire
record. Morag Tong are very hard to describe. As they blend a lot of
different sounds in their music.
Take
the opening track - Transmission - for example. This is an Ambient
Post-Rock/Post-Metal song that feels influenced by Pelican and
Russian Circles. However Morag Tong add psychedelic/spaced out
moments that leave you wanting more. It's quite restrained compared
to the other songs on the album. Though it gives the listener a good
indication on how spaced out and trippy the album becomes.
Second
track - New Growth - sees Morag Tong adding a heavier Sludge/Doom
Metal groove whilst keeping the Psychedelic elements firmly part of
the action. The vocals from Adam are superb. Blending angry
Sludge/Doom based vocals with trippy based lyrics is a work of genius
from the band. The vocals become softly spoken towards the end of the
song with Morag Tong play a quieter style of music. Though the heavy
loud progressive riffs soon make a welcome return as the song becomes
more aggressive.
Third
track - We Answer - opens with a subtle post-rock/sludge rock groove
as Morag Tong take time in bring the heavy sounds to the listener.
Though the album starts reflecting a more seventies prog-rock feel.
The vocals from Adam are straight on point yet again. I admire how
Morag Tong's music can be so quietly restrained one moment and pure
sludge metal aggression the next. It's a hard sound to pull but Morag
Tong excel on all levels here.
Fourth
track - To Soil - feels like We Answer Part Two as this song
continues the heavy distorted psychedelic sounds of the previous
song. It's a beautifully played song that has the right balance of
post-rock passages and the familiar psychedelic doom/sludge metal
riffs. This is perhaps my favourite song on the album.
The
final two songs Ruminations and Ephemera / Stare Through The Deep -
perhaps contain the heaviest moments of the album with Morag Tong
excelling once again in creating eerie familiar sounds but still
maintaining an air of originality around the entire album. The
production is first rate. Though I'm not surprised with Slabdragger's
Sam Thredder behind the production desk.
Last
Knell Of Om is a deeply ambitious album and one that sees Morag Tong
play to their absolute strengths. The album is a dazzling and superb
combination of so many different sounds that you'll be listening to
this album over and over again just to make sense of it all.
Last
Knell Of Om is another album that I will rank as one of the best
albums of the year.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Lisa at Hold Tight PR for the promo. Last Knell Of Om will be
available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from May 18th 2018.
Links:
