Earthtone9 - In Resonance Nexus (Candlelight Records) [GC]
Ok, before we started, I feel that I must admit that I love Earthtone9! Ever since they came onto the scene back in 1998, they have challenged what you would classify as heavy music and have released at least 2 perfect albums already (Lo-Def(inition) Discord & Arc Tan Gent, if you were wondering) they mix in so many different elements into their sound sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with them.
It’s been a good while since their last release, 11 years in fact, but when they released a single earlier this year seemingly out of nowhere, I nearly had a heart attack and was praying for an album and now in the shape of In Resonance Nexus we have one but, is it any good??
Blasting out of the blocks with The Polyphony Of Animals is a suitably exciting way to get everything started and shows that being away for so long has not dulled the fire in their bellies one bit, its full of big chunky off kilter riffs, thunderous drumming and as always Karl Middleton’s voice soars over the everything with expert ease.
Navision Record turns their focus to the more melodic and epic side of things at the start and then twists and turns with some frantic metallic hardcore riff work and the whole song wraps up in just under 3 breathlessly beautiful minutes before Under The Snake mesmerizes and soothes in equal measures the soft and dreamy verses are full of moody atmosphere and the chorus lifts everything up to another level, and right at the end they smash all the tranquillity with a final blast of crunching metal. I can feel if this is played live they will have you, the audience in the palm of their hand and it will be a special moment for sure.
Now comes the previously mentioned single Oceanic Drift and even after my 789th time listening to this track it still sounds perfect in every way and is the distillation of what ET9 do so well, they mix the furious crunch of hardcore with melodic and atmospheric sections and when they do it this well there aren’t many bands on the planet that sound this exciting and invigorating.
Now we reach the midway point with Black Swan Roulette and they take the choice of song style back to the woozy atmospheric and gentle soundscapes but again mix in some huge soaring guitars and vocals that drive and control the song beautifully and command your full attention at the midway point you may expect some more forward thinking and ‘’heavy’’ tracks but that is not what you get.
You get songs that guide you through just how they want with Lash Of The Tongues they thunder along and it almost sounds out of place because of that, until about a minute in it when really settles into a rhythm and the intertwining of subtlety and savagery is once again done with inch perfect precision and if you wanted ‘’heavy’’ you certainly get it with Etiquette Of Distortion which has some huge groove infused riffing and the way the chorus wraps around the song and adds that extra layer of earwormness is an absolute thing of majestically heavy beauty.
As we get towards the end of the album Observe Your Course does nothing to ease you towards the end and is feels like a full-on hardcore track but with some more beautiful melodic sections added in to never really mark the song as one thing or another and adds more power to the whole feel of the album, Third Mutuality decides to then step right off the ‘’metal’’ pedal and is a soft and dreamy soundscape song that has distorted but subtle vocals throughout, its full of beautiful and ethereal sounds that does mix in some guitars about midway through but never really takes away that more soft side of the sound.
Following a song as beautiful as that would be a challenge for most bands but of course ET9 don’t back down and decide to finish with the albums longest track Strength Is My Weakness which distils all that is great about their sound into one last statement it has riffs, it has the big vocals and mixes the savage crunching metallic hardcore with the more dreamy post-rock side of their sound and of course rounds off this utterly stunning album in a completely perfect manner.
I seriously cannot believe that it’s been 11 years since Earthtone 9’s last album because its on this showing you would say that this is a band right at the top of their game not on the comeback trail? They have seriously recoded an album that most bands would kill to be able to release and practically from out of nowhere, with no warning or fanfare just here we are, this is our album!
There is not one single part of any song that I didn’t like, and it just gets better and better with every listen and the fact they have the nerve to do this is just ridiculous! I have mentioned album of the year contenders in some of my other reviews and I am once again about to do it again, if this isn’t up there in your lists and you don’t like this album you need your head testing!
Stunning perfection from one of the UK’s best to ever do it, don’t believe me? You will once you have listened to it!! 10/10
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