Kazea : "I , Ancestral"

This unique trio from Sweden quickly held my attention once I was two songs into their new album. The vocals are somewhat Pink Floyd-like in their breathy execution. The first track was a more experimental, neo-folk intro piece, but they stomp on the distortion and start rocking with "Pale City Skin".  They go from a more sludge-influenced stomp to a folk-paced strum that is full of repressed melancholy that feels like they are speculating over in a manner that is detached from the darkness of their souls, causing it to cast an even more curious shadow over the sound. This gives it more in common with post-punk than post-rock. In turn, creating a very interesting atmosphere. 

There is a more introspective manner in which the chords are picked out to "Trenches" which gives it more of a 90s grunge feel. The vocals get stronger in the chorus. There is a great deal of thought put into the vocals rather than just being an obligatory element they half heartedly stepped up to the mic for, despite using them further back in the mix sometimes. This shows a great deal of depth in their songwriting. I was not expecting the harsher screamed vocals here. "the Whispering Hand" has more of a punk energy to it. There is a more ambling country-tinged mood in some sections. The grunge feel is also in some of the vocal melodies. Almost getting New Model Army vibes from it. "Strange Burial" is more like the intro piece the album opens with, as a guitar twangs over a sample. This leads into a doomier riff, but that's halfway into a two-minute song, so there is nowhere to go with it to make a song. 

"Wailing Blood" is the lead single from this album that carries a more driven riff, more brooding in a wild western way than the grunge of the 90s but not far from that sonic neighborhood. The big hooky chorus seals the deal to lump it in a post-grunge. "the North Passage" takes a great shift when things go into a more roared vocal at the chorus. This brings the album to the intersection where sludge and grunge met which was a very real place in the 90s. That last song starts off with a more pondering tone. Breaking the seven-minute mark they give themselves plenty of time for the slow build. Rather than explode they take things in a more melodic direction that makes me think of Stone Roses, which is a part of the 90s I did not think we would be visiting here. I'll round this up to a 10 thanks to all the varied elements they blend to make this something different. This is being released by Suicide Records.

pst128