From the beginning, OF feels like Theia with all dials set to 11. Where Theia treated in nuances, slowly oscillating between huge doom riffs, post-metal melodies and more, bridging the gap between mid-career Catatonia And Phantom Brigade, OF is a more direct matter. This does not mean that The brilliance of the sun has fundamentally changed its sound but OF is more immediate and more energetic. Delicate instrumental passages remain (the first third of “Amnesty,” for example), but they are more determined and ambitious. It feels like they are guiding you, rather than wandering and searching. There is also a much greater sense of grandeur at play on OF. It’s a massive album, with heavy and progressive doom riffs still present. However, they now have a slightly more abrasive post-hardcore, Moon Worship– an adjacent ambience as in the opening track “Colossus”. In contrast, other parts border on a grandiose symphonic feel (the rest of “Amnesty”). The other thing that stands out, especially in the deep and sustained clean vocals on tracks like “Leaving toward Spring” and “Rain”, is a strong Prey-era Tiamat This balances some of the album’s mountainous heaviness with a much more introspective sweetness.
The brilliance of the sun combines elements of their sound to great effect OF. The back-to-back association of “Äon” and “Relikt” is an example of this, the former giving the impression Clouds encounter Slowwhile the latter is a masterclass in progressive doom, tinged with that Phantom Brigade feeling of despair. “Stonefall” could easily have been written by Moon Worship For Somewhere along the highwayIts textures and constructions are both nuanced and cathartic. What the album does so well is shift from one influence to another and one genre to another, while maintaining a sense of cohesion. While closely related, these genres all have their trademarks and characteristics, which are not easy to combine, without sacrificing the flow of an album. The brilliance of the sunThe five-year hiatus has produced an album that sounds much more confident in its songwriting, with “Rain” and “Äon” vying for a spot on a songs of the year playlist.
That said, perhaps managing this creative flow has led to OF being longer than it should be. At barely an hour long, there is a lot to digest here and, due to its intensity, it feels more tiring to listen to in one go than Theiathough it is slightly shorter. The vinyl version, which will not include the last two tracks featured on the CD/digital version, would be almost a quarter of an hour shorter and much tighter. However, the excellent “Horizon” is lost, with “Amnesty” being an anticlimactic replacement to close the disc. The other track missing from vinyl, “Storm of Light,” is less of a loss. It is solid enough but forgettable, failing to match the aggression or subtle melodies of the rest of the material on OFLikewise, while “Leaving toward Spring” does nothing wrong, it fails to match the power of “Colossus” or the beauty of “Rain.” OFThe production is very good, with an airy and balanced mix that gives pride of place to the very good singing of Christoph Stopper (both hard and clear), without allowing him to eclipse the rest of the group.
I am very happy to see The brilliance of the sun back and they gained confidence as songwriters during their absence. The immediacy OF serves, unlike Theiais fantastic but could have used a little more restraint. Cutting tracks like “Storm of Light” and removing a few minutes here and there would have given the record as a whole the same directness and intensity as the individual tracks. Falling just short of greatness, OF This is a very good record, worth your time (and money).
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format reviewed: mp3 320 kb/s
Label: Lifeforce Recordings
Websites: gotslfr.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/glareofthesun
Worldwide releases: September 13, 2024
Give in to your anger:
#Review #Glare #Suns #TAL