Gothtober - Unmaker : "Firmament"

I have missed Beastmilk. Grave Pleasures is a continuation of that but the last album was more punk than not. So it is timely that this little gem popped up in my in-box, I can't say it slipped under my radar because it doesn't come out for another week. The opener takes many of the elements that made Beastmilk great and follows a parallel path. Some of this might be due to members of both bands having a background in metal. This gives them more punch than your average post-punk band. There is an odd transition when things break down into just guitar and synth then it comes back with an entirely different movement that had more of a Danzig like feel. The pace picks up to more of the post-punk tension, that has more of a frenetic punk feel. I like the fact that even though the vocals has a touch of punk to them they are still melodic.  "Children of the Clouds" is driving while not crowding the vocals. I like how it breaks down in the last minute of the song.

There is more room to breathe and an almost Cure like feel to the more emotive "Used Future" . Which is my favorite song thus far. "Black Ribbons White Roses" goes into a place where they become sonically heavy and I am always a fan of this. The bass drives the more upbeat and punk like "Into the Wild" which is perhaps the albums most straight forward punk song. While it's not a bad song the lack of depth makes it my least favorite. "Through the Firmament" has more of an Echo and The Bunnymen feel in it's lazy stroll through the shadows. I like this more than when they lean into their punk side. There is a bigger and more emotive drama to "Sura i" which I think plays into their strengths the most. It also defines their identity setting them apart from the other post-punk revival bands.

The album ends with what might be their darkest song. It one of the album's best though it's more detached and not as urgent. It like most of this album might also need time to grow on me, though even at this stage in the game I am pretty sold on it. So much so I'll give this one a 9. If you miss Beastmilk as well, then these guys are worth checking out. The are not a tribute band, though in someways picking up where they left off at "Climax".