Release Date: July 27th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
The World Before Us: Tracklisting
1.Singularity
2.Our History Hidden
3.Traversing the Interstellar Gateway
4.Contact
5.Architects of Our World 08:57
6.Duality
Members
Matt Habina - Drums
Dave Cohn – Bass, Synths
Brian Harrigan – Guitars, Vocals, Synths
Review
GRID delivers a spacey horror epic with The World Before Us, a frighteningly beautiful space odyssey that will bend your mind and leave you sonically gratified by a story that twists and turns both in lyrical storyline and musical motif. This album feels like an epic novel, with tender, hopeful moments, but always with undertones of impending doom confirmed by crushing monstrous growling vocals of the antagonists creating terror and doom amongst the innocent denizens.
I sometimes have difficulty with harsh vocals but they fit so well in the songs on this record. They have purpose and create an atmosphere that would not be possible without them. This album is actually scary in sections, giving me that uncomfortable “what the fuck is gonna happen” feeling I get watching a horror movie. I love that a band can create that feeling without a visual component! Excellent songwriting and production combine on this effort to bring a dystopian situation to life in front of your ears and surround you with dismay and darkness.
The songs are really good and the musicians are excellent. The guitar tones are unique and interesting. Moving from quieter contemplative pieces to flat out face melting, I am quite impressed with Brian Harrigan’s approach. Matt Habina provides stellar drum work that keeps the songs moving and provides depth to the songs adding to their pervasive feeling of doom. The drums work perfectly in a very tight rhythm section with bass player Dave Cohn. Both Harrigan and Cohn also provide the excellent and mood setting synth tracks.
This effort is a spacy, psych doom concept album. There is a lot of this type of album coming out but the vocals and interesting tempo changes really separate this album from a lot of others. The excellent musicianship and songwriting kept me intrigued throughout the whole record. It felt a little like Clouds Taste Satanic meets Rush.
Singularity opens the album with a haunting ambient tone, hinting at trouble to come. There is a lot of tension crested by the droning guitars and synth. There is a definite doomy dread. Mysterious, perhaps sitar inspired guitar tone comes into play and the tension continues as the tempo begins to increase. The vocals come in powerfully and begin to tell the story…and it's a mournful story indeed…
On the track Our History Hidden, the harsh, evil growls answer the mournful songs of the questioning people. Warlike and vengeful, the oppressors declare their intentions. Clean vocals answer and then there is a delicious back and forth between the vocal styles. The band is just ripping behind this chaos. Strong beats from thunderous drums and pounding bass drive the song forward into what can only be an epic battle between good and evil. Our History hidden is an epic 12 minutes and it delivers doomy drama along with driving beats. Not a slow doom song, it moves at a fairly breakneck pace, only slowing towards the end of the story.
Traversing the Interstellar is the next track and it is also a long 9 plus minutes opus. GRID excels at this type of ambient but purposeful extended songs. The ability to change tempo and keep the feel to the themes of the songs is fun to listen too. These guys write good songs that are interesting and keep the listener engaged. I want to know where the next part of the tune is going! Not predictable, Traversing the Interstellar kept a smile on my face and was a bit of a reprieve from some of the doominess that has dominated the disc so far. This is a very beautiful spacey psych jam, but don't get comfortable. Lots of fun changes and expressive moments throughout the 9 minutes of beauty.
The rest of the album continues to tell the story of The World Before Us. Contact is a sweet interesting instrumental piece that leads beautifully into Architects of Our World. Muted clean lyrics ask questions and receive harsh answers from the…Gods? The music and lyrics create a tense and very metal atmosphere, and the tune is up to the challenge this atmosphere is demanding. Strong vocal performances really make this record special to me. I get weird Rush 2112 vibes from this album and I love that. I love a good concept album and GRID delivers big time here.
Duality closes the album and its spacy and ambient and almost…questioning. There is a lot of emotion being portrayed instrumentally in The World Before Us and it's really fun to listen to and hear those feelings being represented throughout the entire production. There isn't a moment of this album that doesn't feel like it's engaged in telling a story. Like participants in an ancient ritualistic ceremony, GRID acts out a play of passion for its tribe with electric guitars, drums and amazing vocal performance, telling a tale of great importance. This album will take you on a trip. Make sure you have a good place to sit back and really take this one in. The World Before Us is definitely worth a careful exploration.
Words by S Patrick Brooks
Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.
The World Before Us will be available to buy on all good digital stockists from Friday July 27th 2024.
Links
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