 Southkill
Self-titled CDEP
Noreaster
Failed Industries
Genres: experimental rock, instrumental rock, drone
rock
Noreaster
2406 Phillips Dr.
Alexandria VA
22306
Jul 26 - Aug 1 2004 |
Southkill fall under the "epic instrumental rock"
banner that is shared by acts like Mogwai, Godspeed You
Black Emperor!, and Explosions in the Sky. They
border on drone rock due to meticulous use of spacey reverb layers,
although the presence of a strong rhythm section prevents it from
becoming too expansive.
Although limited to five compositions, this EP is far from a brief
affair. All but one of its songs are over six minutes in
duration, and its longest track clocks in at nearly thirteen
minutes. Due to a limited range of sounds, this makes for a bit
of an attention-tester, particularly for those unaccustomed to the
genre. On "Bridges Designed to Collapse," Southkill
perfectly exemplifies their formula - seven minutes of chomping, propeller-like
guitar-and-rhythm rain down upon the listener. Think Mogwai
without the occasional sensitivity. The album's lengthy centerfold,
the aforementioned thirteen-minute "Horizon at Aramoana,"
follows a simple but effective formula - start slow, build up to loud,
guitar-heavy climax; then do it again twice. Nothing
groundbreaking, but a fine take on the tried and tested concept.
This self-titled EP is nothing I haven't heard before, but it is
performed with passion and precision, resulting in a strong release
for fans of epic, instrumental rock. It isn't Young Team,
but it's a fine start nonetheless.
83%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 5 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
