EP REVIEW: Gloria – Irist

It seems there wasn’t a single review of IRIST‘s 2020 debut Order Of The Mind that didn’t at least mention GOJIRA or MASTODON. Admittedly, the similarities were uncanny, and yet somehow the Atlantans managed to come out relatively unscathed by such lofty and almost dangerous comparisons. They actually ended up delivering one of the finest metal albums of another stacked year, marking themselves out as a band well worth keeping an eye on in the years to come. Now, they return with Gloria – a five-track EP that ensures the wind remains very much in this nascent four-piece’s favour.

Picking up largely where Order Of The Mind left off, Gloria has no trouble at all in living up to the thunderous power of its predecessor. With four fulsome tracks balanced either side of a brief central interlude, this is a work of undeniable force that pushes well past the confines of its concise 22-minute runtime. The aforementioned comparisons remain in tact, as does the band’s willingness to borrow from sludge and post-metal, but there are a few new elements in the mix too. Synths, noise and electronics all add to the band’s already expansive sound, with the results quite naturally feeling at least a touch bigger and broader than they did on Order Of The Mind.

It helps of course that IRIST have teamed once again with producer Matt Bayles – known for his work with everyone from BOTCH and CASPIAN to ISIS and MASTODON. Predictably, Bayles does a great job of capturing the full breadth of the band’s sound, whether that’s the chaotic squall of the opening title track, the impossibly towering chorus of Surging Ablaze, or even the ambient wood chimes of interlude III. To be honest though, spotlighting individual tracks like that feels a little unnecessary; Gloria works best as an uninterrupted whole, with moments of quiet reflection well-placed among the record’s gargantuan riffing, propulsive drum work, bellowed vocals and soaring melodies. Given that it only really asks for 20 minutes of your time, it’s easy enough to invest in, and yet significantly rewarding if you do.

Probably the only serious criticism one might throw IRIST’s way is that they do still sound a lot like their most obvious influences, but then again they’re hardly looking at COAL CHAMBER or CREED are they? Who wouldn’t want to sound a bit like GOJIRA or MASTODON if they could? It still takes the know-how to pull it off, and as Gloria illustrates, this band are at least somewhere on their way to finding their own identity. Most importantly, this record confirms that IRIST aren’t one of those bands who release a great debut and then never do anything worth listening to again. This is just as vital and compelling as Order Of The Mind, and it does more than enough to keep eyes and ears trained keenly on a band who could well have an even bigger ace up their sleeve yet.

Rating: 8/10

Gloria is set for release on September 16th via Nuclear Blast Records.

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