InAeona – ‘Force Rise The Sun’ Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
Post-rock has been defined by the layers of instruments encompassing a greater composition, often developing without the need of vocals. As the genre gained more ground in the scene the characteristics began transitioning to other styles of music. The recent craze has been enveloping the textures into black metal, relieving the constant stream of hyper fueled progressions with rich yet decadent atmospheres.
Soaring with the rise of post-rock groups is InAeona. But to consider them as just post-rock would be taking away from their overall sound. In fact, their newest LP Force Rise The Sun has quite the mix of grand, colorful soundscapes to make their sound sound unique. For all intensive purposes, The Deftones, Russian Circles, and Muse would be a few good comparisons to mix together for the Boston trio.
Often times InAeona feature a more simple progression in their songs, allowing the rest of the underlying synths and vocals to transcend the instrumentation with extreme force. ‘Leader’ is the prime example of this, with vocalist Bridge unleashing vicious screams with the rather poppy groove. The chorus is an immersive and epic release that is mixed to showcase how much space/energy the band can fill with just three members. This type of huge mastering gives the band a theatrical presence, allowing for songs to sound like monumental soundscape in time. ‘Sun Moon’ is the most vivid yet visceral track, featuring an aggressive bass line with the distorted guitars adding an extreme amount of power as the song comes to a close. Sonically this song is one of the finer moments of the album, building up a ghostly presence before shattering the atmosphere with crushing walls of distortion. ‘Empty Now’ is a chilling tune with powerful syncopated drums being the architect for the synths,bass and guitar to dance about over.
‘Ghosts’ has an eerie presence to the track, lamenting over a deep synthesizers and bells. ‘A Ways Away’ is a strict drone track, showcasing a come down from explosive end to ‘Never Forever’ and setting the mood for the finisher, ‘Skywatcher.’ The latter trudges along with contradicting moments of serene croons and amorphous yells. The album closes with a bit of a reflective tone, dissolving into a serene static.
The only real problem with some of the songs on the album is their heavy and exploited routine. InAeona know their talents and craft them well, but at times they feel a bit lengthy and predictable with their pulses. Regardless, Force Rise The Sun can build up a raw moment with chilling results. ‘Never Forever’ is the prime example, listen to it, like, now.
Score: 8/10
Pick up the album here! https://inaeona-official.bandcamp.com/album/force-rise-the-sun
