ALBUM REVIEW: nin-an-ak – postcards from new zealand
Who doesn’t love a trilogy? The Godfather, The Hangover, the trilogy of Star Wars trilogies. And over the years, the world has bore witness to a number of musical trilogies as well, from the likes of DAVID BOWIE‘s Berlin Trilogy and ULVER‘s Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde, to GREEN DAY‘s troubling ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trio. Add to the annals POSTCARDS FROM NEW ZEALAND‘s Betwixt and Between trilogy, which started in April of this year with the ferocious burn, witch, burn and continues here, now, with nin-an-ak. Starkly different from its hardcore predecessor, this is a far more considered and expansive release, comprising five tracks of instrumental drone and post-metal, but keeping hold of that central theme of abolishing the patriarchy.
Sub-genres aside, the clearest difference on nin-an-ak is the addition of a string quartet; like a mournful banshee howling across the moors, there is palpable tragedy and anger on this record. Bitesize blasts of hardcore that foamed at the mouth have been replaced here with vast soundscapes that seethe with hatred. The screamed vocals may be gone and the blast beats are vacant, but they have given way to a great dark cloud that swells and threatens before a terrible deluge rains down with awesome violence.
Take the opening combo of e-ana and inana – both tracks run into each other and seem to continually build. Only when they lull you into a false sense of security by skipping four or five opportunities to bring it all crashing down, it hits that much harder when, 10 minutes in, they do explode. It’s not the heaviest thing you’ll hear this year, but the way the strings and drums interplay here lends a crushing dose of emotion and drama throughout the full runtime of nin-an-ak.
Post-metal has always been a genre that runs long and bides its time in reaching the destination; the same is true here from POSTCARDS FROM NEW ZEALAND. However, there are moments on nin-an-ak that feel too extended to the point of detracting from the songs themselves. The aforementioned inana reaches a stunning and fitting crescendo, but then practically starts again. It results in a track that could have – and arguably should have – ended three minutes sooner. In its current form though, it loses a lot of its effect and the listener too, as you’re left pondering what’s next.
There is also a distinct similarity between every track that goes beyond how the band sounds. Formulas, structures, instrumental interplay – they’re all rinsed and repeated across these five tracks and best part of 40 minutes, and it’s tough to distinguish songs from one another. This may well have been better off employing a BELL WITCH or SLEEP tactic by trimming some of the fat and existing as one long track.
Overall though, nin-an-ak continues the Betwixt and Between trilogy in fine enough form and gives POSTCARDS FROM NEW ZEALAND an unexpected and impressive new perspective. With no word yet on how they will round out this trio, the world is their oyster. Let’s just hope we don’t end up with a Godfather III scenario…
Rating: 6/10
nin-an-ak is set for release on July 8th via self-release.
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