Release Date: 02nd December 2022. Record Label: Dunk!records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Indistinct Beacon: Tracklisting
Dvorac
Talas
Dim
Duhovi
Pesak
Review
Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal noisemakers Gavran impress greatly on their second album Indistinct Beacon which takes the bone-crunching grooves from Cult Of Luna and merges it with the Doom Metal vibes of early-era 40 Watt Sun for an album that's bleak and distinctively progressive from start to finish. Vocals are gloomy throughout with a mixture of clean vocals and harsh growls.
The aggressive nature of Indistinct Beacon is one of the albums main strengths with Gavran playing a more distorted and droned out style of Sludge and Post-Metal. There's elements of Neurosis and ISIS within Gavran's music with a warped Psychedelic down-tuned sound that allows Gavran to be masters of their own creative thoughts and identity which you can feel instantly from the excellent opening track Dvorac. Post-Rock vibes are placed in the middle of the song for a more calmer approach that is also quite solitary as well. Though, Gavran are a Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal band first and foremost which means the heavier and violent gloomier sounds are never far behind.
Second song Talas opens with a slightly hopeful Ambient Post-Rock solitary groove with Gavran soon exploding into a loud volcanic eruption of Post-Metal grooves with soulful Psychedelic elements working superbly well with the fantastic vocals. The vocals once again are a mixture of clean based vocals and harsher guttural growls. This allows this track to be one of the most thrilling parts of the album. The instrumental work is EPIC without being flashy with the band laying down a non-stop avalanche of impressive riffs before stepping back and playing slow-paced Post-Rock and Shoegaze sounds that drifts into the world that Pallbearer usually inhabits.
Gavran moves further into the dark vortex of Sludge/Post-Metal on tracks such as Dim, Duhovi and Pesak. The mood becomes heavier and gloomier with the band adding a more experimental drive to their music. Instrumental progressive passages merge with the bleak Psychedelic and Ambient landscapes of the album with a wonderfully harsh Shoegaze flow appearing on Duhovi and Pesak.
Indistinct Beacon is a challenging and complex record to listen to but if you're looking for a more bolder Sludge/Post-Metal album with high amounts of violent and aggressive grooves then Gavran are very hard to beat. Featuring fabulous production values with a slight DIY edge, Gavran excel themselves greatly here which allows Indistinct Beacon to be one of the most definitive Post-Metal albums of the year.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.
Indistinct Beacon will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Dunk!records from December 02nd 2022.
Links:
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
