ALBUM REVIEW: Thousand Petals – Auralayer
The small town of Greenville is tucked away neatly in the north west of the state of South Carolina and only has an approximate population of 72,310 inhabitants. Yet the small town has a wonderful musical history with groups such as Egyptian-themed death metal band NILE and electric blues outfit THE MARCUS KING BAND having some of their roots there. Now, erupting out of its depths comes a progressive doom power trio going by the name of AURALAYER.
AURALAYER aren’t your average doom band. Their eclectic music tastes range from the prog magic of Neil Peart, the songwriting genius of THE BEATLES and the raw, fuzzed out power of HIGH ON FIRE, amongst many more. As a result, AURALAYER have been able to steer clear of the usual doom and stoner tropes to create an interesting, varied and diverse sound that covers a number of musical bases. It may initially sound chaotic and it is very ambitious, but it certainly pushes the boundaries of progressive doom. Now they follow up their 2021 EP Solar Plexus with their multifaceted, riff-heavy debut album Thousand Petals.
Alongside their diverse musical influences, the power trio are also inspired by Eastern cultures and the Chakra Manipura. The album’s title Thousand Petals comes from the the Sahasrara padma. It is the crown chakra that translates to “the lotus of a thousand petals” which is symbolic of supreme consciousness and enlightenment. A perfect description AURALAYER’s enlightened, lively and multifarious sound.
Overall, Thousand Petals is a vibrant and energetic album with a lot going on. Genre-hopping like the Duracell bunny on drugs, you can’t say AURALAYER haven’t made an effort to keep you on your toes. Bountiful in twists and turns both positive and negative, the album’s unpredictability is on one hand well-executed but on the other a little messy. In some areas AURALAYER jump from pummelling riffs into bluesy psychedelia with little build up or transition. That in turn feels like audible whiplash.
Whilst there is plenty of brilliant musicianship on display from Thomas Powell (guitars), Jake Williams (bass) and Vladimir Putomang (drums) throughout the course of Thousand Petals, in some areas of the album it feels like too much is crammed into a short amount of time. With a restless undercurrent, there is a mixed focus that often has parts of songs conflicting with one another; essentially a freestyle jam where everyone plays lead on their instrument. Alongside this, the album’s production is very in your face instrument wise, which can make it hard to decipher the vocals. Whilst its rustic nature gives it a certain charm, it is hard to follow and understand the lyrics in certain areas, which is a shame considering the catchiness of the melodies
Despite the album’s overall confusion, there are some strong songs in there. When AURALAYER venture into the southern grooves and fuzzy stoner riffs you can see where there is some potential, alongside the more technical proggy parts where the kick drum follows the riffs. The band can write strong melodies and riffs, but Thousand Petals is chaotic and needs more refinement and focus. It is wonderful that the band have an eclectic musical influence, in this instance it feels like it’s trying too much to be a plethora of things with intent to stand out.
The Lake kickstarts the album with a surprisingly thrashy riff that dissolves into a chaotic verse. The choruses are catchy and the solo is wonderfully bluesy, processed through some epic delays and reverbs with a solid bass groove to back it up. All My Time leans more into psychedelic realms, whilst continuing to layer on the crackling fuzz. This feels like one of the more straightforward songs on the album, and you can see AURALAYER’s potential beginning to shine through. Christ Antler is a grimy psychedelic stoner track and the stand out track on the album. It’s here that AURALAYER sound at their most focused and some of those unique influences from Eastern cultures and the Chakra Manipura come to the fore and are executed well.
Faith To Reason, Shelf Black and Peacemonger all seem to follow a similar template, but feel a bit muddy and cramped with bluesy and refined moments here and there. You Walk is a grungy, bluesy and trashy track that offers some contrast after the previous three and better executed prog parts. Dance To Thrash is probably they messiest track on the album, its blistering pace does nothing to endear it either. Monstrum is a strong, well-executed closing track that encapsulates what the band are going for. Ultimately though, it leaves you frustrated because you can see the band’s flair, influences and ability really shine through.
Sadly, Thousand Petals is a hit and miss debut from a promising young band. Ultimately AURALAYER just need to tweak and refine their sound to accommodate the plethora of influences behind them.
Rating: 6/10
Thousand Petals is set for release on July 14th via King Volume Records.
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