Saturday 11 November 2023

IAH - V (Album Review)

Release Date: November 05th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD


V - Tracklisting

1.Kutno 10:06

2.Madre de los suspiros 06:38

3.Yaldabaoth 08:00

4.Sono io! 01:43

5.Sentado en el borde de una pregunta 06:24

6.Las palabras y el mar 08:45


Members


Juan Pablo Lucco Borlera: Bass

Mauricio Condon: Guitar & Synths

José Landín: Drums


Review


Argentinian Space/Stoner Rockers IAH return with their fifth album simply entitled V which is mostly filled with Ambient Post-Metal explorations and sonic based textures which almost branch out into Sludge Metal riffage. The band are once again quite adept blending Stoner based mysticism and levels of swirling Psychedelic sounds with IAH keeping the mood mostly melodic and quite soulful.


This is the most aggressive album that iAH have delivered to date which you can hear within the first few moments of opening song Kutna. The song blends Post-Thrash beatdowns and lush sounding Post-Metal progressive rhythms with the Ambient noises, glitches and sound effects capturing a darker and more daring style of Space Rock we’ve come to know from IAH. I greatly admire their new found stance into more aggressive areas of Post-Metal/Sludge Metal with the band still not forgetting their early Psych Stoner Rock roots.


IAH starts adding classic Shoegaze effects into their music which turns the atmosphere into modern day Doomgaze trippy sounds on the more mellow parts of the record. The whole creative flow of the album has a true “CINEMATIC” feel to the album with IAH expertly delivering the harsh and heavier grooves at the right time which gives the listener some true headbanging moments to contend with


Second song Madre de los suspiros is more Stoner Rock/Metal orientated with flashes of Psychedelic interludes and Post-Rock vibes with IAH slowly projecting a Post-Doom or gloomy Space Rock journey with the album drawing influences from bands such as Rosetta, Pelican and Russian Circles. There’s another sideline of Post-Thrash beats and breakdowns that appear briefly which allows IAH to explore new sonic fields and areas of Instrumental Heavy Rock.


Third song Yaldaboath explores the Prog Rock arena with eerie Ambient sounds and heavy sludgy guitars with a more aggressive stance of Space Rock slowly building upto different levels of Instrumental heaviness with IAH definitely moving into a more dominant force of Post-Metal surroundings. The song is perhaps my favourite track on the album as it’s a dark journey with IAH expressing themselves mostly through Doom/Sludge Metal grooves with small traces of Post-Rock allowing the band to slow the mood right down.


IAH continue with their Cosmic Heavy Doomed Out journey for the rest of the album with the final two tracks Sentado en el borde de una pregunta and Las palabras y el mar once again allowing IAH to move between the realms of Post-Rock, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal and Sludge Metal with a first rate delivery of intense melodic sounding riffs that sometimes last an absolute age.


The most standout element from V is the actual instrumental journey itself with IAH playing multiple different sounds and genres we haven’t heard from the band before. This still allows their existing and established fan base to be treated to a first rate instrumental album that only IAH can deliver.


Excellent and Highly Recommended.


Words by Steve Howe


Links


Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram