ALBUM REVIEW: Commotion – Allochiria
ALLOCHIRIA have already made a name for themselves with having a highly polished, fully formed sound from the off. Drawing comparisons to CULT OF LUNA, NEUROSIS and AMENRA, the band’s first two records have been hugely impressive. Commotion, their anticipated third record, promises more of the same high-power music.
If you’re in the market for straight up post-sludge, then there’s plenty on offer for you here. From openers We Have Nothing and 9 there’s clearly been a huge pool of inspiration in the writing of this record, both musically and lyrically. The complexities of being human, the ways we fail ourselves and struggle within our own vanities are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of themes in Commotion. These ideas are only heightened by the complexities of the instrumentation beneath the words, which batter and shift like an intelligent monster.
Likewise Ocean and Still Life have an almost death metal groove, with a sweeping sense of dread and titanic middle breakdown. There’s scope for things to become more extreme where the pressure is really upped, and the ideas flow aplenty. Between progressive elements, doom-infused riffs and crisp, crunchy vocals, it’s a superb time. Songs like Shedding Character are a great combination of shoegaze and sludge, the spacy, almost bouncy central melody contrasting against the fuzz of the vocals. It’s an odd tune for sure, and might not work for those who want their genres split nice and evenly, but it’s got some good ideas nonetheless.
With mid-album Interlude is a daunting pause, like mist on a vast ocean, concealing the monsters ahead, but giving you an eerie sense that this calm won’t last. Casualties is a storm of a tune, intense and brutal. Shrill guitars tower like a tidal wave while raging vocals froth and churn as they’re bellowed out over the tumult. The moments of quiet, where those reverberating guitars are allowed a moment to sway rather than assault, are really beautiful and give the track the breaking space it needs for the more extreme moments to be ever more impactful.
Turning Point again has a much gentler approach to the post-sludge side of ALLOCHIRIA. The spoken word clip overdubbed on top is unusual, and thought provoking; it’s the discussion of two men talking about how magnets work, and how the layman of the two is asking the wrong questions about the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of something, not just in this instance but in all of life. It’s a great moment to set up ideas in the listener before the gentle side of the track is blown out of the water and the conclusion pummels as it wrestles with these questions. Darklight is a perfect ending. The multi-layered chugging, the variety of bright and shrill with the deeper, groove-laden moments, interlaced with a super tight rhythm section and those top-class vocals is stellar.
Commotion is a perfect third album for ALLOCHIRIA, displaying their fluency in writing and constructing massive songs that resonate emotionally. Towering, epic post-sludge with plenty of innovation makes it joyfully apparent that ALLOCHIRIA still have plenty in the tank.
Rating: 8/10
Commotion is set for release on April 21st via Venerate Industries.
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