#dvne — Public Fediverse posts

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, given how ubiquitous it is these days. A couple of decades ago, it would have been unthinkable for someone like me who lives in the United States to stumble upon music made by a group from Eigg. Hailing from this small Scottish island—with a population of only about 100—Joe Cormack and Pete Colquhoun formed Electric Sun Defence following the early dissolution of their former group, The Massacre Cave, after just one album that was released in 2020. Estuary represents the next step along this trail of spirited progressive/post-metal that these two bandmates began blazing years ago.

It turns out that Estuary is an apt metaphor for Electric Sun Defence’s music. Estuaries, formed when freshwater rivers mix with the salty ocean, account for some of the world’s most productive wildlife ecosystems. Similarly, Estuary inhabits the sweet spot between the melodicism of prog and the coarse textures of post-metal. Much like The Ocean and Void of Light, Electric Sun Defence is prone to change from tranquil to tempestuous at a moment’s notice. The flurries of activity are glued together with delicious, delicate post-rock segments in the vein of pg.lost or Red Sparowes. The balance between these competing interests can feel fragile at times, but they manage to coexist and enrich their musical environment together.

Estuary’s standout strength is the masterful buildup and discharge of tension. This is immediately clear as the title track begins, layering bass and horns atop cymbal taps and serene guitars, then eventually erupting into a furious post-metal wave. “Fountain of Blood” takes things further with harsh guitar riffs that also contain the perfect amount of groove. “The Master’s Garden” deftly winds between glassy post-rock and distorted chords, climaxing with an intricate guitar melody. Though the intensity waxes and wanes, there is a clear trend of increasing aggression as Estuary progresses, becoming more like a combination of Cult of Luna and Dvne for the final two tracks, “Phantom Limb Amputee” and “In Bestia.” During the latter, Pete Colquhoun really gets to let loose with forceful and frenetic rhythms behind the kit. Don’t let the monochromatic album art fool you; Electric Sun Defence paints with a wide array of aural hues.

The dynamic composition is good, but when paired with an intuitive flow, the experience borders on transcendent. Each track fluidly transitions to the next, and the fact that none of them exceeds 8 minutes helps to keep Estuary from becoming stale. This is a rare instance of the shorter interlude tracks serving a larger purpose, albeit in a subtle way. “Spiderweb” is pretty enough that I can look past its bothersome soundbites, and “Dysmorph” functions as a reprieve while setting the stage for the raging “Phantom Limb Amputee” that follows. The grouping of these tracks with the shoegaze elements in “Choke Leper” causes the momentum to sag a little, but not terribly so. Another minor weak point is that the vocals—especially the cleans—can sound muffled, but the strength of the instruments helps compensate.

Though I entered Estuary with no expectations, it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for at the time. It keeps the listener guessing from moment to moment with the continual assurance that they’ll love whatever comes next. Electric Sun Defence shows their versatility by wielding both emotive melody and crushing ferocity. Albums like this make me pause and appreciate the privilege we have to conveniently access great music from all over the world. Electric Sun Defence might be the best metal group in Eigg by default, but they can give others in larger regions a serious run for their money too.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Road To Masochist
Websites: electricsundefence.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/people/Electric-Sun-Defence
Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

I almost missed #Dvne before #Igorrr

For progressive death metal acts, the shadow of the masters, Opeth, looms large. Yet some recent progressive death acts, like Iotunn, Tómarúm, and Dvne, have carved their own paths in the genre. When Dyed in Grey released their debut, The Abandoned Part, in 2013, Opeth was charting a course into pure prog sans death metal. I only mention Opeth because Dyed in Grey’s brand of prog death sees clear influences in the titans of the genre, though with a more technical, improvisational imprint. Harbinger marks only their third full-length album in thirteen years. These years have seen inconsistency in the lineup, with 2018’s Anguish and Ardor losing the vocalist and going full instrumental. Now with a new vocalist, Harbinger sees a return to Dyed in Grey’s roots with a more honed vision from founder Adam Edgemont.

Unlike Soen’s cleaner approach to prog, Dyed in Grey is much rawer and rougher around the edges, utilizing plenty of off-key notes. There’s a greater sense of urgency and authenticity in this approach, and songs are carefully crafted to sound improvisational rather than intentional and overly polished. At times, Dyed in Grey plays it light and breezy, such as on the intro track “Sunbird” and the first few minutes of “Ascent,” where you could almost mistake them for a happy-go-lucky Weezer. At other times, they play a rough and tumble of ’90s grunge, with “Silent Symmetry” taking on an Alice in Chains-esque gruffness. Yet behind each arpeggio and light strum lurks an Opethian turn, which can rear its head suddenly with an eruption of heavy guitars and monstrous death growls. These turns prove an effectively cathartic release of emotion; “Mirrored Ruins” in particular takes a brilliant turn with some of the coolest riffs on Harbinger. While Opeth is a clear influence, Dyed in Grey take a novel enough approach to avoid being a mere clone.

Descent by Dyed In Grey

Dyed in Grey cite jazz as one of their musical styles, and this is most apparent in the improvisational turns that songs take. Unlike Opeth’s more developed passages of death metal or prog, Dyed in Grey can flip on a dime. “Static Tides” best demonstrates this as it transitions from growls to cleans, arpeggios to blasting riffs, all within short spans of time. Similarly, “Descent” plays off-tune riffs one moment and a sudden melodic lead the next before erupting into death metal with some impressive technical fretwork. I don’t mean to make this sound like a random jumble of song parts. Harbinger still has enough structure for it to contain well-defined tracks. Riffs from the beginning of a tune return at the end (“Ascent,” “Silent Symmetry”) and catchier passages, such as the chorus of “Tempest,” repeat throughout the course of each song. The unpredictable nature of the music keeps you on your toes and provides new surprises with each spin.

As much as there is to enjoy, there’s plenty on Harbinger that makes it a confounding listen. The angular, sometimes atonal, music is certainly off-putting and proves an obstacle to appreciating Dyed in Grey’s strengths. The vocal performances, particularly the cleans, also leave something to be desired.1 The cleans have a gruffer, grungier resonance that fits what Dyed in Grey is going for, but the vocalist struggles with his pitch at times. Despite the strong production values, another issue is that the death metal riffs sound flat and lack the muscular punch needed to truly make these portions pop. The growls, however, deliver enough power to offset this shortcoming. The rougher elements of the band’s sound fit in with their rugged character, yet there’s a fine line in the atonal approach between enjoyable and cringe-worthy music, and fortunately, Dyed in Grey fall on the enjoyable side more often than not.

What started off for me on initial spins as disappointing has since turned into something more interesting, rewarding, and even catchy with repeat and closer listens. Dyed in Grey don’t quite stand with the bands listed in my opening paragraph, but for fans of prog death, Harbinger is a worthy exploration. It also represents a growth in Edgemont’s songwriting. This proves to be a pretty cool amalgamation of styles that doesn’t play it safe yet feels assured in its performances and compositions.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026

For progressive death metal acts, the shadow of the masters, Opeth, looms large. Yet some recent progressive death acts, like Iotunn, Tómarúm, and Dvne, have carved their own paths in the genre. When Dyed in Grey released their debut, The Abandoned Part, in 2013, Opeth was charting a course into pure prog sans death metal. I only mention Opeth because Dyed in Grey’s brand of prog death sees clear influences in the titans of the genre, though with a more technical, improvisational imprint. Harbinger marks only their third full-length album in thirteen years. These years have seen inconsistency in the lineup, with 2018’s Anguish and Ardor losing the vocalist and going full instrumental. Now with a new vocalist, Harbinger sees a return to Dyed in Grey’s roots with a more honed vision from founder Adam Edgemont.

Unlike Soen’s cleaner approach to prog, Dyed in Grey is much rawer and rougher around the edges, utilizing plenty of off-key notes. There’s a greater sense of urgency and authenticity in this approach, and songs are carefully crafted to sound improvisational rather than intentional and overly polished. At times, Dyed in Grey plays it light and breezy, such as on the intro track “Sunbird” and the first few minutes of “Ascent,” where you could almost mistake them for a happy-go-lucky Weezer. At other times, they play a rough and tumble of ’90s grunge, with “Silent Symmetry” taking on an Alice in Chains-esque gruffness. Yet behind each arpeggio and light strum lurks an Opethian turn, which can rear its head suddenly with an eruption of heavy guitars and monstrous death growls. These turns prove an effectively cathartic release of emotion; “Mirrored Ruins” in particular takes a brilliant turn with some of the coolest riffs on Harbinger. While Opeth is a clear influence, Dyed in Grey take a novel enough approach to avoid being a mere clone.

Descent by Dyed In Grey

Dyed in Grey cite jazz as one of their musical styles, and this is most apparent in the improvisational turns that songs take. Unlike Opeth’s more developed passages of death metal or prog, Dyed in Grey can flip on a dime. “Static Tides” best demonstrates this as it transitions from growls to cleans, arpeggios to blasting riffs, all within short spans of time. Similarly, “Descent” plays off-tune riffs one moment and a sudden melodic lead the next before erupting into death metal with some impressive technical fretwork. I don’t mean to make this sound like a random jumble of song parts. Harbinger still has enough structure for it to contain well-defined tracks. Riffs from the beginning of a tune return at the end (“Ascent,” “Silent Symmetry”) and catchier passages, such as the chorus of “Tempest,” repeat throughout the course of each song. The unpredictable nature of the music keeps you on your toes and provides new surprises with each spin.

As much as there is to enjoy, there’s plenty on Harbinger that makes it a confounding listen. The angular, sometimes atonal, music is certainly off-putting and proves an obstacle to appreciating Dyed in Grey’s strengths. The vocal performances, particularly the cleans, also leave something to be desired.1 The cleans have a gruffer, grungier resonance that fits what Dyed in Grey is going for, but the vocalist struggles with his pitch at times. Despite the strong production values, another issue is that the death metal riffs sound flat and lack the muscular punch needed to truly make these portions pop. The growls, however, deliver enough power to offset this shortcoming. The rougher elements of the band’s sound fit in with their rugged character, yet there’s a fine line in the atonal approach between enjoyable and cringe-worthy music, and fortunately, Dyed in Grey fall on the enjoyable side more often than not.

What started off for me on initial spins as disappointing has since turned into something more interesting, rewarding, and even catchy with repeat and closer listens. Dyed in Grey don’t quite stand with the bands listed in my opening paragraph, but for fans of prog death, Harbinger is a worthy exploration. It also represents a growth in Edgemont’s songwriting. This proves to be a pretty cool amalgamation of styles that doesn’t play it safe yet feels assured in its performances and compositions.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026

For progressive death metal acts, the shadow of the masters, Opeth, looms large. Yet some recent progressive death acts, like Iotunn, Tómarúm, and Dvne, have carved their own paths in the genre. When Dyed in Grey released their debut, The Abandoned Part, in 2013, Opeth was charting a course into pure prog sans death metal. I only mention Opeth because Dyed in Grey’s brand of prog death sees clear influences in the titans of the genre, though with a more technical, improvisational imprint. Harbinger marks only their third full-length album in thirteen years. These years have seen inconsistency in the lineup, with 2018’s Anguish and Ardor losing the vocalist and going full instrumental. Now with a new vocalist, Harbinger sees a return to Dyed in Grey’s roots with a more honed vision from founder Adam Edgemont.

Unlike Soen’s cleaner approach to prog, Dyed in Grey is much rawer and rougher around the edges, utilizing plenty of off-key notes. There’s a greater sense of urgency and authenticity in this approach, and songs are carefully crafted to sound improvisational rather than intentional and overly polished. At times, Dyed in Grey plays it light and breezy, such as on the intro track “Sunbird” and the first few minutes of “Ascent,” where you could almost mistake them for a happy-go-lucky Weezer. At other times, they play a rough and tumble of ’90s grunge, with “Silent Symmetry” taking on an Alice in Chains-esque gruffness. Yet behind each arpeggio and light strum lurks an Opethian turn, which can rear its head suddenly with an eruption of heavy guitars and monstrous death growls. These turns prove an effectively cathartic release of emotion; “Mirrored Ruins” in particular takes a brilliant turn with some of the coolest riffs on Harbinger. While Opeth is a clear influence, Dyed in Grey take a novel enough approach to avoid being a mere clone.

Descent by Dyed In Grey

Dyed in Grey cite jazz as one of their musical styles, and this is most apparent in the improvisational turns that songs take. Unlike Opeth’s more developed passages of death metal or prog, Dyed in Grey can flip on a dime. “Static Tides” best demonstrates this as it transitions from growls to cleans, arpeggios to blasting riffs, all within short spans of time. Similarly, “Descent” plays off-tune riffs one moment and a sudden melodic lead the next before erupting into death metal with some impressive technical fretwork. I don’t mean to make this sound like a random jumble of song parts. Harbinger still has enough structure for it to contain well-defined tracks. Riffs from the beginning of a tune return at the end (“Ascent,” “Silent Symmetry”) and catchier passages, such as the chorus of “Tempest,” repeat throughout the course of each song. The unpredictable nature of the music keeps you on your toes and provides new surprises with each spin.

As much as there is to enjoy, there’s plenty on Harbinger that makes it a confounding listen. The angular, sometimes atonal, music is certainly off-putting and proves an obstacle to appreciating Dyed in Grey’s strengths. The vocal performances, particularly the cleans, also leave something to be desired.1 The cleans have a gruffer, grungier resonance that fits what Dyed in Grey is going for, but the vocalist struggles with his pitch at times. Despite the strong production values, another issue is that the death metal riffs sound flat and lack the muscular punch needed to truly make these portions pop. The growls, however, deliver enough power to offset this shortcoming. The rougher elements of the band’s sound fit in with their rugged character, yet there’s a fine line in the atonal approach between enjoyable and cringe-worthy music, and fortunately, Dyed in Grey fall on the enjoyable side more often than not.

What started off for me on initial spins as disappointing has since turned into something more interesting, rewarding, and even catchy with repeat and closer listens. Dyed in Grey don’t quite stand with the bands listed in my opening paragraph, but for fans of prog death, Harbinger is a worthy exploration. It also represents a growth in Edgemont’s songwriting. This proves to be a pretty cool amalgamation of styles that doesn’t play it safe yet feels assured in its performances and compositions.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026

For progressive death metal acts, the shadow of the masters, Opeth, looms large. Yet some recent progressive death acts, like Iotunn, Tómarúm, and Dvne, have carved their own paths in the genre. When Dyed in Grey released their debut, The Abandoned Part, in 2013, Opeth was charting a course into pure prog sans death metal. I only mention Opeth because Dyed in Grey’s brand of prog death sees clear influences in the titans of the genre, though with a more technical, improvisational imprint. Harbinger marks only their third full-length album in thirteen years. These years have seen inconsistency in the lineup, with 2018’s Anguish and Ardor losing the vocalist and going full instrumental. Now with a new vocalist, Harbinger sees a return to Dyed in Grey’s roots with a more honed vision from founder Adam Edgemont.

Unlike Soen’s cleaner approach to prog, Dyed in Grey is much rawer and rougher around the edges, utilizing plenty of off-key notes. There’s a greater sense of urgency and authenticity in this approach, and songs are carefully crafted to sound improvisational rather than intentional and overly polished. At times, Dyed in Grey plays it light and breezy, such as on the intro track “Sunbird” and the first few minutes of “Ascent,” where you could almost mistake them for a happy-go-lucky Weezer. At other times, they play a rough and tumble of ’90s grunge, with “Silent Symmetry” taking on an Alice in Chains-esque gruffness. Yet behind each arpeggio and light strum lurks an Opethian turn, which can rear its head suddenly with an eruption of heavy guitars and monstrous death growls. These turns prove an effectively cathartic release of emotion; “Mirrored Ruins” in particular takes a brilliant turn with some of the coolest riffs on Harbinger. While Opeth is a clear influence, Dyed in Grey take a novel enough approach to avoid being a mere clone.

Descent by Dyed In Grey

Dyed in Grey cite jazz as one of their musical styles, and this is most apparent in the improvisational turns that songs take. Unlike Opeth’s more developed passages of death metal or prog, Dyed in Grey can flip on a dime. “Static Tides” best demonstrates this as it transitions from growls to cleans, arpeggios to blasting riffs, all within short spans of time. Similarly, “Descent” plays off-tune riffs one moment and a sudden melodic lead the next before erupting into death metal with some impressive technical fretwork. I don’t mean to make this sound like a random jumble of song parts. Harbinger still has enough structure for it to contain well-defined tracks. Riffs from the beginning of a tune return at the end (“Ascent,” “Silent Symmetry”) and catchier passages, such as the chorus of “Tempest,” repeat throughout the course of each song. The unpredictable nature of the music keeps you on your toes and provides new surprises with each spin.

As much as there is to enjoy, there’s plenty on Harbinger that makes it a confounding listen. The angular, sometimes atonal, music is certainly off-putting and proves an obstacle to appreciating Dyed in Grey’s strengths. The vocal performances, particularly the cleans, also leave something to be desired.1 The cleans have a gruffer, grungier resonance that fits what Dyed in Grey is going for, but the vocalist struggles with his pitch at times. Despite the strong production values, another issue is that the death metal riffs sound flat and lack the muscular punch needed to truly make these portions pop. The growls, however, deliver enough power to offset this shortcoming. The rougher elements of the band’s sound fit in with their rugged character, yet there’s a fine line in the atonal approach between enjoyable and cringe-worthy music, and fortunately, Dyed in Grey fall on the enjoyable side more often than not.

What started off for me on initial spins as disappointing has since turned into something more interesting, rewarding, and even catchy with repeat and closer listens. Dyed in Grey don’t quite stand with the bands listed in my opening paragraph, but for fans of prog death, Harbinger is a worthy exploration. It also represents a growth in Edgemont’s songwriting. This proves to be a pretty cool amalgamation of styles that doesn’t play it safe yet feels assured in its performances and compositions.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026

For progressive death metal acts, the shadow of the masters, Opeth, looms large. Yet some recent progressive death acts, like Iotunn, Tómarúm, and Dvne, have carved their own paths in the genre. When Dyed in Grey released their debut, The Abandoned Part, in 2013, Opeth was charting a course into pure prog sans death metal. I only mention Opeth because Dyed in Grey’s brand of prog death sees clear influences in the titans of the genre, though with a more technical, improvisational imprint. Harbinger marks only their third full-length album in thirteen years. These years have seen inconsistency in the lineup, with 2018’s Anguish and Ardor losing the vocalist and going full instrumental. Now with a new vocalist, Harbinger sees a return to Dyed in Grey’s roots with a more honed vision from founder Adam Edgemont.

Unlike Soen’s cleaner approach to prog, Dyed in Grey is much rawer and rougher around the edges, utilizing plenty of off-key notes. There’s a greater sense of urgency and authenticity in this approach, and songs are carefully crafted to sound improvisational rather than intentional and overly polished. At times, Dyed in Grey plays it light and breezy, such as on the intro track “Sunbird” and the first few minutes of “Ascent,” where you could almost mistake them for a happy-go-lucky Weezer. At other times, they play a rough and tumble of ’90s grunge, with “Silent Symmetry” taking on an Alice in Chains-esque gruffness. Yet behind each arpeggio and light strum lurks an Opethian turn, which can rear its head suddenly with an eruption of heavy guitars and monstrous death growls. These turns prove an effectively cathartic release of emotion; “Mirrored Ruins” in particular takes a brilliant turn with some of the coolest riffs on Harbinger. While Opeth is a clear influence, Dyed in Grey take a novel enough approach to avoid being a mere clone.

Descent by Dyed In Grey

Dyed in Grey cite jazz as one of their musical styles, and this is most apparent in the improvisational turns that songs take. Unlike Opeth’s more developed passages of death metal or prog, Dyed in Grey can flip on a dime. “Static Tides” best demonstrates this as it transitions from growls to cleans, arpeggios to blasting riffs, all within short spans of time. Similarly, “Descent” plays off-tune riffs one moment and a sudden melodic lead the next before erupting into death metal with some impressive technical fretwork. I don’t mean to make this sound like a random jumble of song parts. Harbinger still has enough structure for it to contain well-defined tracks. Riffs from the beginning of a tune return at the end (“Ascent,” “Silent Symmetry”) and catchier passages, such as the chorus of “Tempest,” repeat throughout the course of each song. The unpredictable nature of the music keeps you on your toes and provides new surprises with each spin.

As much as there is to enjoy, there’s plenty on Harbinger that makes it a confounding listen. The angular, sometimes atonal, music is certainly off-putting and proves an obstacle to appreciating Dyed in Grey’s strengths. The vocal performances, particularly the cleans, also leave something to be desired.1 The cleans have a gruffer, grungier resonance that fits what Dyed in Grey is going for, but the vocalist struggles with his pitch at times. Despite the strong production values, another issue is that the death metal riffs sound flat and lack the muscular punch needed to truly make these portions pop. The growls, however, deliver enough power to offset this shortcoming. The rougher elements of the band’s sound fit in with their rugged character, yet there’s a fine line in the atonal approach between enjoyable and cringe-worthy music, and fortunately, Dyed in Grey fall on the enjoyable side more often than not.

What started off for me on initial spins as disappointing has since turned into something more interesting, rewarding, and even catchy with repeat and closer listens. Dyed in Grey don’t quite stand with the bands listed in my opening paragraph, but for fans of prog death, Harbinger is a worthy exploration. It also represents a growth in Edgemont’s songwriting. This proves to be a pretty cool amalgamation of styles that doesn’t play it safe yet feels assured in its performances and compositions.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 23rd, 2026

Beneath a Steel Sky – Cleave Review

By sentynel

Including “for fans of” is pretty common when marketing a band. But is it actually a good idea? Promo text that reads “for fans of [the biggest bands in this genre]” is the worst offender—why wouldn’t I just listen to those bands? I’d rather hear what makes this band stand out. But listing more interesting little-known bands only helps if the audience have heard of them. Anyway, this is post-metal band Beneath a Steel Sky, and they’re for fans of Isis, Cult of Luna, Cave In, Russian Circles, Mogwai… and the rather more obscure Aereogramme.

Beneath a Steel Sky play a less genre-faithful take on post-metal than I had therefore been given to expect. Cleave is spacier and dreamier than the comparisons to Isis and Cult of Luna might suggest, to the extent that in places it reminds me of stoner/psychedelic bands like Dead Meadow (“Vanguard”). There’s lots of reverb-soaked clean vocals, synth washes and floaty guitars (“The Sky Above the Port Was the Colour of Television, Tuned to a Dead Channel,” “Quetzalcoatlus,” …). The Mogwai comparison hints at this, but unlike Mogwai, they are not boring. Like Aereogramme and Mogwai, they are Scottish, and there’s a definite spacey/stonery Scottish post-* scene they fit into. Likewise, in places, in song construction and style, they also remind me of fellow Scots Dvne—for example, the mixed down clean vocals in “The Sky…”, or the clean/harsh vocal duets in a few places (e.g. “Vanguard”). This twist on the post-metal formula works well for them.

There’s some great songwriting on Cleave. There are some really pretty melodies woven into the dreamy atmospheric sections (“Vanguard,” “Quetzalcoatlus”). They make good use of their six (!) musicians with some complex multi-part sections (“Cyclical Dunt”). “The Infinite Silence That Follows the Absolute Truth” does a very Mike Oldfield-like job of layering onto a simple repeated motif for most of the song’s build. Of course, this is post-metal, so the big metal crescendo after all the build-up is a staple. While they never really stray from the genre template, they do it well. The big riff and soaring melody line on “Quetzalcoatlus” is a highlight, and closing track “The Becoming” is absolutely gorgeous.

One quirk of the production is that whoever did the mixing is a really big fan of the pan slider. Nearly every song has sections with instruments panned nearly all the way to one side or the other. I don’t hate the effect in general, but it’s a bit overused, and the couple of songs that start with fully panned guitars (“Everyone You’ve Ever Known,” “The Infinite Silence…,” “The Becoming”) keep making me think my headphones have broken. There’s also a fade-out ending on “Vanguard” which comes across as a bit of a cop-out. Gimmicks aside, the production does a good job of balancing a lot of parts and maintaining the dreamy feel, although as usual, it didn’t need to be a DR6.

There’s not a huge amount of new ground being broken Beneath [this] Steel Sky, but they successfully bring their own identity to a crowded genre nonetheless. The spacy, somewhat psychedelic take on post-metal both differentiates them and makes Cleave a surprisingly warm listen despite the usual bleakness of post-metal. The songwriting is consistently strong, and with a tidy 40-minute runtime and a great ending, it’s a very satisfying listen.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: beneathasteelsky1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/beneathasteelskyband
Releases Worldwide: January 24th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Aereogramme #BeneathASteelSky #BritishMetal #CaveIn #Cleave #CultOfLuna #DeadMeadow #Dvne #Isis #Jan25 #MikeOldfield #Mogwai #PostRock #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RipcordRecords #RussianCircles