Release Date: June 28th 2024. Record Label: Church Road Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Acts Of Harm: Tracklisting
1.Bound
2.Want No More 07:50
3.II: Nuclear
4.Orbit 03:44
5.New Motive Power
6.Lye Waste
7.II: Habituation
Members
Daniel Jones - Bass
Ian Grant - Guitar/Vocals
Joseph House- Guitar
Jack House - Drums
Review
Birmingham, UK, Alternative/Shoegaze/Post-Doom/Post-Rock collective Outlander release their second album with Acts Of Harm that continues their therapeutic style of Shoegaze based sounds that appeared on their 2019 debut album The Valium Machine. This record should appeal to fans of HUM, Cloakroom and True Widow with the band drawing upon heavier Post-Doom elements and sludgy textures within the more aggressive and highly melodic aspects of the record.
The opening track Bound is an epic slice of Instrumental Post-Rock filled with Psychedelic sounds and Ambient themes which bring a heavy Post-Doom atmosphere which lays down the gloomy narrative of the record whilst still offering brief moments of uplifting sounds which airs on the right side of cautious bleak sensibility.
The real magic starts to appear within the excellent second track of Want No More. Acts Of Harm is intentionally and deliberately slow paced which allows Outlander to add a respective and emotional creative energy within their lyrics and lead vocalist Ian Grant’s delicately sung vocals which bring an air of genuine warmth and real humanity within the lyrics written for this track which helps the music transform into more subtle Post-Sludge surrounding with the heavier and muscular guitars slowly to dominate the musical landscape.
Third track II: Nuclear is a sullen Post-Rock/Post-Metal instrumental track that plays under two minutes with Outlander playing heavy Psychedelic landscapes with their highly melodic style of Doomgaze being quite distant at times. The song does feel longer especially within the quieter moments that appear towards the end of the song.
Fourth song Orbit has an eerie Cloakroom and True Widow vibe within it’s bleak depiction of Post-Rock, Doomgaze and Psych Rock which once again becomes quite distorted within the fractured musical pieces that appear in the Droned Out sounds that Outlander incorporates into the song. Orbit slowly becomes an uplifting and blissful sounding track which is in direct contrast to the next part of the album.
Fifth track New Motive Power was originally released back in 2022 on a separate release but it has a more prominent and important energy when included within this album. The song is perhaps some of the heaviest material that Outlander have delivered to date with the sound moving into full on Drone Metal territory with its thrilling mix of different styles of music that become ever so thrilling when the gloomier elements fully take control on the second half of the track.
The final two tracks Lye Waste and II: Habituation allows Outlander to further delve into the heavier parts of their musical and creative psyche with emotionally charged and socially aware lyrics once again delivered with great delivery by Ian Grant’s immense vocal presence. The music is a mixture of Drone, Ambient Rock, Post-Rock, Doomgaze and a subtle Sludgier vibe when Outlander venture into the HEAVIER side of their music which makes the epic track Lye Waste perhaps the standout track on the whole record.
Outlander are a great band with a truly cinematic approach to their music and this allows Acts Of Harm to be one of the essential records to own right now. Acts Of Harm is a beautiful sounding record with sublime production values that allows Outlander to deliver one of the most deeply engaging and brilliantly entertaining Doomgaze records I’ve heard in quite some time.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Church Road Records for the promo.
Acts Of Harm will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Church Road Records from Friday June 28th 2024.
Links
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