ALBUM REVIEW: Tribe of Suns – Archelon

Progressive post-sludge metal outfit ARCHELON, are poised to release their latest album, Tribe of Suns, on May 4th. While they have had many line-up changes over the course of their career, they’ve remained strong, pumping out powerful riffs and mixing in some really enjoyable progression throughout.

Starting off the album with Man is an Artifact, ARCHELON show that they have range and aren’t afraid to open with something a little out of the ordinary. Man is an Artifact is a mostly instrumental piece, only hearing vocals in the last minute and a half. However, the gentle progression from acoustics, into voice samples, into the heavier riffs that the genre is known for, really lends itself to strengthen the song. The title track, Tribe of Suns, begins with a strong rhythm section, gruff vocals paving the way, with harmonising guitar-work in the background, adding depth to an already hefty track. It takes a turn for the gentler not too long after, softly played melodies and bass-lines accompany each other for quite a duration, leaving some respite from the heaviness for the listener. However, ARCHELON come out once again with meaty, crunchy riffs, laden with crashing cymbals until the end.

Jonah introduces itself with a crisp acoustic segment, not entirely dissimilar to the first track, but leads into a slow and hypnotic heavy section. While not the most brutal or intense track in the world, it reeks of droning, sluggish playing, somewhat akin to doom metal. However, they manage to entwine a melodic element and powerful vocals on top of this to create a cracking track. The fourth track, A Dried Ocean, while fitting for the album, and rather short, isn’t a spectacular track, it doesn’t boast grandiose composition or the technically insane progression, but what it does do is bring the tone back down from the previous track and mellows the album progression out.

There’s only one way to describe Destroy; a cacophonous vortex of drudging chords, laced with shrill and an exquisite use of harmonics. This is what I would call the stand out track of the album, plenty of intense riffage, strong vocals, and a tasty evolution throughout the duration, combining acoustic, instrumental and heaviness all into one. Discordant guitars, ringing out low in unison with deep and rasping growls, Hollow Gloom sounds like you would expect a song of that name to. Leaning towards a more evolutionary standpoint on the latest release, the track has a sweet progression, and as with the rest of the album, the guitars and bass play off each other extremely well. They combine rumbling and earth shaking low tones with squealing and wailing siren-esque high notes. The shrill notes catch you off guard and keep you on your feet, but it’s a welcome shock. Rounding off the album with one of the two sub six minute songs, is The River. Sharing a theme with its counterpart A Dried Ocean, this acoustic number takes a nosedive into a placid, melancholic state, but not an unwelcome one. This turn for the mellow sums up ARCHELON perfectly. They can bring out some incredibly heavy, grinding material, while also having the ability to pull on emotions with an acoustic track.

After it’s all been said, or should we say heard, you can tell that this is a solid album through and through. While not perfect, as any album rarely is, it highlights how versatile ARCHELON are, and that sludge and stoner metal could perhaps do with a dash more of progressive elements like these guys have. To surmise, A Tribe of Suns is a great album, and showcases the breadth of talent that ARCHELON have at their disposal.

Rating: 8/10

Tribe of Suns is out now via Sludgelord Records.

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