Sunday 19 June 2022

Smouldering - Silhouettes Of Nothing (Album Review)

 

Release Date: June 04th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Silhouettes Of Nothing - Tracklisting

1.Mutual 06:04

2.As Was 06:22

3.Red Moon Setting 05:41

4.Hidden Ranges 06:02

5.Tempus Fugit 01:55

6.Memori 05:57

7.Torchwielder 04:32

8.So Will Be 04:46

9.Taken To The Wind 06:30


Review


Silhouettes Of Nothing is the debut full length album from One-Man Instrumental Metal Band Smouldering. The album takes themes and sounds from multiple areas of Hard Rock and Metal such as Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Grunge, Sludge Rock, Psych Rock and Alternative Metal. The album is vastly experimental from start to finish with many different sounds working together for a different style of Instrumental Rock/Metal.


The album does take time to fully take shape. However, there’s some fantastic instrumental sounds heard from the excellent opening tracks of Mutual and As Was. Both of these songs are mostly Post-Metal based with a grungy atmosphere that even veers off into Noise Rock territory. Shades of The Melvins, Mastodon and Neurosis can be heard as slight influences within the heavy grooves that Smouldering lays down here. Progressively melodic with a dark Psych Rock sound allows Smouldering to bring a jazzy sound on the first track Mutual.


Smoulding covers a lot of musical ground on this album with the record running around fifty four minutes in length with the band impressing the most on tracks such as: Red Moon Setting, Hidden Ranges, Memori and Taken To The Wind.


Maybe the album does have too many different genres on this album but the instrumental work is bloody impressive with the wide range of musical instruments that Smouldering plays on this record. The album can be slightly erratic at times but it works best when the record throws caution to the wind and plays some epic guitar solos along the way.


Silhouettes Of Nothing production values are terrific that allow the music to flow at a natural and robust pace. 


Give this album a chance and you’ll be surprised by what you encounter on this album. I would consider this album Experimental Sludge/Post-Metal and it has a “dazzling” feel and quality to it that will last long in the memory.


Excellent and Highly Recommended.


Words by Steve Howe


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