Release Date: 29th January 2021. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD/Vinyl (Later This Year)
No Solace For The Soulless - Tracklisting
Struggle And Strain
Now Or Never
Brothers I
Brothers II
Free From Fear Of Failure
Go With Grace
An Anxiety Rises
Members
Zack - Guitar / Vocals / Lyrics
James - Bass / Vocals / Lyrics
Lex - Drums
Nate - Guitar / Vocals / Lyrics
Review
Pipe Dreamer is a Post-Metal band from Florida and who play a deeply haunting and emotionally driven style of Post-Metal which can be easily compared to ISIS (The Band), The Ocean and Cult Of Luna. Their new album No Solace For the Soulless touches upon quite a few bleak themes and emotions which gives Pipe Dreamer a big creative canvas to draw upon on this entire album.
The music is a mixture of different styles of Sludge Metal and Post-Metal with aggressive vocals that you need for a top-notch album. There are clean vocals on the album but it took me a short amount of time to find an emotional connection with this style of vocals. Though I was fully sold and committed by the end of the superb opening song - Struggle And Strain.
Struggle And Strain comes fully prepared for with the bombastic Post-Metal grooves with a doom based atmosphere which Pipe Dreamer play with absolute confidence. The overall sound of the song and perhaps the entire album is quite raw but allows Pipe Dreamer the opportunity to focus on their creative talent and bombard the listener with strands of top-notch Post-Metal grooves and Progressive themes.
The rest of the album carries on the similar style of the opening song with Pipe Dreamer not changing their musical style too much but there are moments which sees the band experiment with the standard Post-Metal themes and ideas.
The songwriting is impressive with Pipe Dreamer touching upon real human themes and emotions and this ends up being quite a sombre and extremely sad album because of the lyrics the band have written for this album.
Standout songs include: Now Or Never, Brothers I, Brothers II, Free From Fear Of Failure and Grace. As these are the songs that Pipe Dreamer expand their musical horizons and playing a familiar but perhaps classic style of Post-Metal that does remind myself of the early albums by Post-Metal legends ISIS (The Band).
The lush Psychedelic and Heavy Prog Rock moments allow Pipe Dreamer to become an exciting band in their own right and this album is a true reflection on their Post-Metal credentials. If you miss the classic Post-Metal albums of yesteryear then Pipe Dreamer have you covered with this great album.
No Solace For The Soulless is essential listening if you’re a die-hard fan of the Post-Metal genre.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
Facebook | BandCamp
