Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #pelagic-records, aggregated by home.social.
Hippotraktor – Annihilist Review | Angry Metal Guy
In 2024, Belgian quintet Hippotraktor dropped Stasis, a monolithic blend of post-metal atmosphere, progressive ambition and groovy heft—somewhere…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #4.0 #Annihilist #BelgianMetal #djent #Entertainment #Hippotraktor #Meshuggah #Oct26 #PelagicRecords #post-metal #ProgressiveMetal #Psychonaut #review #Reviews #TheOcean #tool #UK #UnitedKingdom #VOLA
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/790182/
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1233163/ Hippotraktor – Annihilist Review | Angry Metal Guy #2026 #40 #Annihilist #BelgianMetal #djent #Entertainment #Hippotraktor #Meshuggah #music #Oct26 #PelagicRecords #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Psychonaut #Review #Reviews #TheOcean #Tool #UK #UnitedKingdom #VOLA
In 2024, Belgian quintet Hippotraktor dropped Stasis, a monolithic blend of post-metal atmosphere, progressive ambition and groovy heft—somewhere between Psychonaut,1 The Ocean and Meshuggah—that quickly earned them recognition, even landing on year-end lists. Their knack for hitting the sweet spot where djent, post-metal and prog collide set a high bar and third album, Annihilist, now seeks to surpass it by refining the group’s identity, the mystery behind their name, and the ongoing narrative of their nameless protagonist from the prior two releases. This chapter finds him suspended between solitude and humanity, fully aware of this forced, cyclical reincarnation and locked in rebellion against the entity that condemns him to do it.
Annihilist feels like wandering through a vast brutalist landscape. The album feels markedly colder and more distant, scraping with the coarseness of a pumice stone while reshaping the smoothness and refined textures of its predecessor into something denser and more immediate. Every track sits within a concise four-to-seven-minute range, never overstaying its welcome, and despite the shift in tone, the qualities that made Stasis so compelling remain firmly embedded in Hippotraktor’s DNA. One moment they drift through delicate passages that fall like raindrops against a windowpane; the next they erupt into towering walls of sound, unleashing seismic roars as crushing as collapsing concrete. “A Different Now,” “I Breathe. I Am” and “Builder of Eden” carry a primal, untamed energy, yet beneath the chaos lies a clear purpose. Their rhythmic backbone remains intact, with drummer Lander De Nyn’s Volastic beats and Jakob Fiszer’s weaving bass driving Annihilst forward, while Chiaran Verheyden and Kristof Du Jardin’s2 guitar work blends Meshuggahan chugs, subtle harmonies, and emotionally charged leads to advance Hippotraktor’s melodic knotwork even further.
Hippotraktor’s ability to balance soaring melodicism with crushing heaviness remains Annihilist’s central throughline. They navigate the tension between chaos and cohesion with confidence and precision, as massive grooves, expressive vocal melodies, ritualistic percussion and explosive crescendos form the pillars of Annihilist’s foundation. Whether it’s the warm hooks and dynamic zenith of “I Breathe. I Am” or “Everything is Permissable,” the techy riffs of “Oblivion Walker,” the polyrhythmic pulse of “Courageous Apathy,” or the ancestral beat running through “Builder of Eden” and “A Different Now,” Hippotraktor excel at guiding listeners through complex terrain without ever losing direction. Verheyden and Du Jardin’s background harmonies in “Oblivion Walker” or “Courageous Apathy,” and their tastefully understated lead work in “Annihilist” and “A Different Now,” provide added depth, enriching the djent heft without overshadowing it, while De Nyn’s phenomenal drumming—funky hi-hat work (“Builder of Eden”), dancing rhythms (“Courageous Apathy”) and complex patterns—lend the record a distinct weight and identity that sets Hippotraktor apart from the countless Tool acolytes of the world.
Unlike Stasis, vocalist Stefan De Graef and Kristof Du Jardin co-wrote the vocal arrangements on Annihilist, resulting in a dual approach that pushes Hippotraktor’s sound forward. Their soaring cleans and burly growls carry much of the album’s emotional weight,3 with tracks such as “I Breathe. I Am,” the title track, and “Everything is Permissable” delivering memorable hooks and sing-a-long melodies that immediately draw you in. Multi-layered harmonies (“A Different Now”), chants (“I Breathe. I Am”), and subtle baritone choral passages (“Courageous Apathy”) add further dramatic depth, and a guest appearance by Loïc Rossetti (ex-The Ocean) on “Builder of Eden” fits the track’s mood perfectly. The production highlights these nuances despite the album’s density. While heavily compressed and occasionally claustrophobic, it sounds far better than its DR 6 score suggests.
On Annihilist, Hippotraktor chose to refine rather than reinvent, taking the qualities that made Stasis shine and compressing it into a mold of density and emotional weight. I initially worried the songwriting felt too episodic and would have benefited from a bit more breathing room. Likewise, I was concerned that the record’s identity was a bit too close to its predecessor. However, repeated listens erased those doubts as the record sank its hooks within my psyche. There are no real weak points here and Hippotraktor strikes a near-perfect balance between djent, progressive, and post-metal that I simply adore. Annihilist stands as one of the year’s strongest progressive metal releases and has guaranteed its presence come list season.
Rating: Great
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: hippotraktor.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/hippotraktorband
Releases Worldwide: October 2nd, 2026
https://www.europesays.com/nl/322056/ Hippotraktor – Annihilist | Zware Metalen #Amusement #annihlist #Dutch #Entertainment #hippotraktor #LoïcRossetti #Music #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #PelagicRecords #PostMetal #recensie #review #TheOcean #ZwareMetalen
https://www.europesays.com/be-nl/152138/ Hippotraktor – Annihilist | Zware Metalen #Amusement #annihlist #BE #België #Belgium #Entertainment #hippotraktor #LoïcRossetti #Music #Muziek #PelagicRecords #PostMetal #recensie #review #TheOcean #ZwareMetalen
The Ocean – Solaris Review
Sady, it’s been a while since we’ve really heard an incredible The Ocean record. While 2023’s Holocene wasn’t…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2026 #3.0 #Entertainment #GermanMetal #GreenCarnation #PelagicRecords #Post-Metal #ProgressiveMetal #review #reviews #Sep26 #Sludge #Solaris #TangerineDream #TheOcean
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/863819/
Sady, it’s been a while since we’ve really heard an incredible The Ocean record. While 2023’s Holocene wasn’t shit by any means, it was nothing like the run the band has had since 2013’s Pelagial. I’ve never been so captivated by a selection of consequential albums—only recently with the Green Carnation trilogy.1 Drifting away from the epochs, The Ocean sets off to the stars with this year’s Solaris. Not only are we heading up instead of staying below, but many of the band’s recent lineup has also moved on to their next stars and adventures. In particular, Loïc Rossetti’s voice is no longer with us, replaced by the duo Enrico Tiberi and Lane Shi. Along with spacey effects and instrumental vibes, these two bring a completely new dynamic to the band’s sound. If one were to assume Solaris marks the beginning of a new era, how will it fare compared to previous ones? Or does “51°28′30″ S, 73°6′11″ W” really represent the “Last Hope”?
Based on Stanisław Lem’s book of the same title, this new record is a mindfuck of emotion and unexplainable contradictions, much like the heartbreaking story that takes us to a research station above the surface of the water planet Solaris. Its black waters are assumed sentient, but what the crew experiences from this ocean sends them into a tailspin of fear and mental breakdown. The key work and atmosphere of Solaris work perfectly, thanks in large part to the contributions of the legendary Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream). But where this psychological thriller takes us, one can only guess.
Smack dab in the middle of Berlin at Pelagic Records, “52°30’11” N, 13°26’12” E” begins our journey with gentle vibraphone, acoustic guitars, and our introduction to Tiberi. Then, the course is set in “Departure Song,” as our hero sets off to help the broken crew. The vibraphone and bass bleed into its introduction before distortion hits and the male/female combo soars. As it progresses through aggressive passages and impressive, forceful wailing from Shi, its cherry on top is the shared vocal structures of another classic The Ocean chorus. While this track is one of the best on the album, the follow-up, “Light Pollution,” is the weirdness that permeates through the scratching needle from here until the end. Female swoons haunt the track as the spacey effects drown out the stars and blot the sun. Harsh male vocals surface as we near the angry planet, while swirling transitions promise the uncertainty ahead. When it all crumbles, a nasty, sludgy trot rises to the surface to end it all.
As the album progresses, the intensity does as well—much like Pelagial all those years ago. As the unexplainable figures appear above and below, the frustration and confusion (for our characters and ourselves) increase until it erupts in “Belligerence.” It unleashes absolute chaos. Up to now, Tiberi’s vox were the only ones to rasp and scream, but now, Shi returns the favor. Trapped in the metallic confines that protect one from the frozen expanse, Tiberi and Shi do battle, dragging knuckles, nails, and teeth down every corridor. When the triplet attack arrives, the necks of any longtime The Ocean fan awaken. “Ultima Esperanza” pushes this concept to its breaking point, with moments of recollection, understanding, and hopelessness. As we near the emotional climax of overwhelm, loss, and pain, there’s really nothing to do but wave and fall.
While the book’s concept flows throughout with its unique The Ocean interpretation, some things plague Solaris. “Simulacra,” “Belligerence,” and “Ultima Esperanza” represent forty of the album’s seventy minutes—which is a lot. The seventeen-minute “Simulacra” is the biggest culprit, which is a shame because it showcases a lot of great, classic The Ocean vibes and its haunting importance to the concept. The two closing numbers match the story’s theme well,2 but their exclusive industrial approach stands out mightily. Many will complain about the vocals. They are so different from what fans are used to that it’s impossible to ignore. But their stellar performances cannot be dismissed. It’s just completely different than what we’re used to with the band. After numerous spins, I finally understand this album, and it gives the score a slight nudge. It’s different, but fans will find something to enjoy here.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: theocean.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theoceancollective
Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026
Review: Playgrounded – A Flower To Water
Published by Cory on 2026/09/222026/09/22 Artwork by: Aias Kokkalis Styles: post-metal, progressive metal, electronica (clean vocals)Recommended for fans…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #6 #cleanvocals #Electronica #english #Entertainment #Greece #Netherlands #PelagicRecords #post-metal #ProgressiveMetal #september #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/779016/
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1217473/ Review: Playgrounded – A Flower To Water #2026 #6 #CleanVocals #Electronica #ENGLISH #Entertainment #Greece #music #Netherlands #PelagicRecords #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #September #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.europesays.com/nl/267045/ Mourir – Nous, le venin #2026 #Amusement #bâ’a #black #BlackMetal #calligram #deluge #Dutch #Entertainment #Frankrijk #mourir #Music #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #NousLeVenin #PelagicRecords #PlebeianGrandstand #recensie #VousAutres #WolfKing #ZwareMetalen
Earlier in June, a post-rock album delightfully surprised this middle-aged metalhead. I tend to approach post-anything with caution these days, but And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter from Sweden’s Oh Hiroshima proved a cohesive, moving experience under scrutiny. Hence, I figured I’d try my luck with another post-rock album on the same label from a band named after a beleaguered city it doesn’t call home. Thus, I approach We’re All Going to Be Fine—on Pelagic Records—by Lost in Kyiv1—from Paris—with cautious enthusiasm. Unlike their labelmates, Lost in Kyiv specialize in a (mostly) instrumental version of post-rock, occasionally adding voices that narrate, soliloquize, live inside sound clips, and even sing. Hopefully, losing myself in this Parisian quartet’s fifth album won’t have me uttering wistful interjections.
Post-rock remains an apt descriptor for Lost in Kyiv, but the band shares heritage with its heavier cousin. As with any (mostly) instrumental post-rockers influenced by Mogwai, electronics play a crucial role in crafting a cinematic experience. On We’re All Going to Be Fine, synths supply melodic hooks (“Burst,” “Euphoria”), set pulsating tones (“Eclipse”), and create mid-song drama (“Mantra”). But when the baritone guitars of Dimitri Denat and Maxime Ingrand lock into a heavy groove with bassist Jean-Christophe Condette and drummer Jérémie Legrand,2 a band like Russian Circles comes to mind. Animals as Leaders also prowl (if they were less technical), on account of Denat and Ingrand’s djent-adjacent tones and playing. For much of its 41-minute runtime, We’re All Going to Be Fine reads like a post-metal album, and a particularly lush, well-produced one at that. While the heavy riffs do lean towards the generic, I can’t deny that they frequently slap.
As a (mostly) instrumental album, We’re All Going to Be Fine mostly slips due to its ‘non-instrumental’ feature: vocals.3 One recurring way Lost in Kyiv adds voices is by threading narrations/soliloquies throughout Fine. Sometimes, these voiceovers work; “Enlightened” segues into the propulsive groove of “Burst” by echoing its title, setting up the song’s rumination on ‘masks’ as a metaphor for social alienation/performativity. But other times, the voiceovers are frustratingly inaudible (“Mantra”), or awkwardly akin to guided meditations (“Euphoria”). As for singing, it makes one and only one appearance. “Becoming” is a perfectly lovely song, powered by the gorgeous melodies and harmonies of Rebecca Need-Menear, but its verse-chorus traditionalism strays far from home on this otherwise impressionistic album. Vocals seem central to the themes Lost in Kyiv claim to explore on We’re All Going to Be Fine: ‘the tension between hope and inner collapse,’ how ‘modern life can disconnect us from ourselves and each other,’ ‘the fragility of mental health and the human psyche.’ As a lecture by Carl Jung closes out the album (“Liminality”), however, I’m left feeling that Fine becomes less coherent when reading its voices closely.
Fortunately, these vocals don’t prohibitively hamper the overall experience. Whether listened to passively or semi-actively, We’re All Going to Be Fine (mostly) progresses as a seamless display of haunting beauty. The first half plays more like post-metal, containing the heaviest riffing on offer. “Eclipse” is a highlight, setting a somber mood that’s popped by an infectious single-string figure and a robust brass section: trumpet, trombone, tuba. From here, Fine mixes things up, exploring multi-layered electronica (“Euphoria”) and hammer-on heroism with d-beat sprinklings (“Liminality”). “Becoming” is always the curveball. Again, it’s not a bad song by any means, but it’s unclear why Lost in Kyiv dropped one singular radio-rock song in the middle of the album. It doesn’t feel like the work of a different band per se, but it definitely feels like a work on a different kind of album.
Oh, Lost in Kyiv, how I wanted to rate your fifth outing just a bit higher. We’re All Going to Be Fine allures with its cinematic soundscapes and hits with its bouncy riffs. Alas, your vocals of various sorts make me think I’m missing the point towards which you drive. But when I play down the voices, letting its luxuriousness wash over me, Fine becomes more than fine—it becomes a (mostly) absorbing arrangement of metallic post-rock.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 19th, 2026
T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land brims with quotable quotes, no section more than I: The Burial of the Dead. There, we learn that ‘April is the cruellest month,’ see ‘fear in a handful of dust,’1 and drift through the ‘Unreal City’ (1, 30, 60). For the title of their sixth album, Swedish post-rock duo Oh Hiroshima digs into the opening gambit of Eliot’s modernist epic for a deeper cut: ‘Son of man, / You cannot say, or guess, for you know only / A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, / And the dead tree gives no shelter” (20–23, emphasis mine).2 The ‘dead tree,’ the band explains in their promo materials, serves as a fitting metaphor for ‘ways of living that drain the world of meaning and offer no real way of navigating the hardships of life.’ Cloistering oneself from an increasingly dystopian world breeds cynicism and apathy, making it impossible to overcome the despair caused by this world.3 Musically, And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter attempts to ‘paint something meaningful and hopeful’ that can help us ‘leave the shelterless dead trees of our lives behind.’ For Oh Hiroshima to achieve such lofty ambitions, the tracks populating Dead Tree must avoid resembling a heap of broken images, instead cohering into a compendium of vulnerable yet powerful songs.
On And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter, Oh Hiroshima continue diversifying their cathartic take on post-rock. Since 2022’s Myriad, Jakob Hemström (guitar, bass, vocals) and Oskar Nilsson (drums, percussion) have been adding progressive rock elements into their repertoire.4 Dead Tree recalls the textured guitar work of Mogwai, the nuanced rhythms of Tortoise, and the driving immediacy of latter-day Thrice. Subtly, the compositions are often non-traditional, gradually layering sparkling guitars over odd-time drum n’ bass and crescendoing into heavier riffing (“Meridian”). Adding to the adventurous compositions is orchestral instrumentation, with delicate piano twinkles and soaring strings swirling around the rock-band core (“Tree of Life”). Sometimes, Dead Tree releases tension through driving energy; other times, it bottles up the tension, creating a sense of longing.
And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter also continues the band’s growing emphasis on vocals. When present in post-rock, vocals can be a bit too atmospheric and mumbly for my liking. Oh Hiroshima does occasionally write passages where Hemström’s voice unclearly contributes to sonic depth (“Servant of All,” “Meridian”). But for the most part, Dead Tree gives its vocals prominence without feeding into cliché rock-song structures. “Broken Sunlight,” for example, bookends a circuitous guitar melody, powered by a stop-start groove, with a robust, titular-line ‘chorus.’ On the more vulnerable side of the spectrum, “Angelos” comes closest to predictability, but the haunting, piano-led bridge that sprouts from the beautifully harmonized verse-chorus cycle is anything but. While not the norm on Dead Tree, these vocal-driven songs, hewing closer to traditional structures, become the glimmers that—oddly—keep the album fresh.
At 8 tracks totaling 47 minutes, And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter coheres into a satisfying experience, with only a cracked image or two. “Servant of All” aptly introduces Oh Hiroshima’s arsenal, while “Meridian” emphasizes rhythm and “Angelos” spotlights melody. After this opening trio, “Skeleton Key” flirts with filler—while not a bad song, its mid-song jolt doesn’t develop into something terribly interesting. Fortunately, side B revamps with the ornate melancholy of “Tree of Life” and the straight-ahead drive of “Broken Sunlight.” “Ivory Town” is quite beautiful, though it doesn’t exactly stand on its own, feeling like a minimalist setup for the closer. Like a flock of Red Sparrowes, “Exit Cloud” escalates, overlaying strings and horns into a cinematic concoction, picking up the pace halfway before an intense conclusion. Perhaps the album’s strongest song, it’s a dynamite ending to Dead Tree.
Oh Hiroshima has certainly succeeded at producing an album that feels ‘meaningful.’ And the Dead Tree Gives No Shelter sounds beautiful, if perhaps humdrum, on a first listen or two. Repeat engagements, however, reveal compositional and instrumental depth, cementing the emotional staying power of its songs (with an exception or two). Son of Angry Metal Guy: if you know only a heap of breakneck metal, Dead Tree likely isn’t for you. If, however, you don’t mind post-ing your metal, or can get down with its gentler cousin, Dead Tree might supply the shantih you’ve been seeking.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 5th, 2026
Gli Hanry pubblicano oggi "What Came From Silence" (Pelagic Records) e noi li abbiamo incontrati per parlare di spazio sonoro, inverni bretoni e immaginario cinematografico. Un'intervista per entrare nel loro mondo.
https://www.europesays.com/at/179190/ Hanry – What Came From Silence #AT #Atmosphärisch #Austria #CD #CinematicPostrock #digital #Electronica #Frankreich #Hanry #HoldTight #instrumental #NewArtrock #Österreich #PelagicRecords #Science #Science&Technology #Technik #Technology #Trippy #Vinyl #Wissenschaft #Wissenschaft&Technik
Concert: Gösta Berlings Saga – Live @sonic Whip (EN)
https://writteninmusic.com/concertverslag/gosta-berlings-saga-live-sonic-whip-en/
#Music # #GöstaBerlingsSaga #PelagicRecords #Doornroosje #SonicWhip
Telepathy team up with cellist Jo Quail for 'Home (Redux)', a full reconstruction off the upcoming 'Transmissions 2.0' EP. Cello meets live looping meets post-metal. #Telepathy #BestNewMusic2026 #W14 #PelagicRecords https://go.stereobar.net/x3ulhgy
#nowplaying Meejah, HIRAKI - Interwoven
Checking out what #PelagicRecords have put out recently.
French post-rock five-piece HANRY announce debut album What Came From Silence (May 29, Pelagic Records) and share lead single Aurora. #Hanry #PelagicRecords #BestNewMusic2026 #W11 https://go.stereobar.net/ey76zat
otay:onii returns with "No Talent", first single from upcoming album 'Love Is In The Shit' (May 8, Pelagic Records).
#OtayOnii #BestNewMusic2026 #W10 #PelagicRecords
https://go.stereobar.net/dfdoydp
Dobre wspomnienia z koncertu #NYOS i Fińskiego Nowego roku na @adapulawska! ❄
Utwór Track "Get Ready" pochodzi z albumu "Growl" na #PelagicRecords.
Kamera i edycja: Alex Byk
Kamera: Aliaksandr Valodzin
#live #koncert #warszawa #concert #music #muzyka #postrock #noiserock #band
Już w sobotę 📣 NYOS (FIN) • Magic Moments ✕ @adapulawska • 17.01 ✦ Fiński Nowy Rok
Info https://last.fm/event/4982726
Urywek utworu #NYOS • Lo4 z albumu Growl (2025, #PelagicRecords)
Plakat @bikini_rockbottom
https://www.europesays.com/lv/101187/ Somu eksperimentālās mūzikas duets NYOS atgriežas Rīgā ar jauno albumu “Growl” — Lente.lv #EksperimentālāMūzika #Entertainment #Growl #Izklaide #KoncertsRīgā #Latvia #Latvian #Latviešu #LatviešuValoda #LatviešuValoda #Latvija #LV #NYOS #PelagicRecords
Recensie: Gösta Berlings Saga – Forever Now (EN) ★★★★½
https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/gosta-berlings-saga-forever-now-en/
Recensie: Gösta Berlings Saga – Forever Now ★★★★½
https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/gosta-berlings-saga-forever-now/
Nowy album #NYOS „Growl” (wyd. #PelagicRecords) jest bardziej ambitny pod względem pejzaży dźwiękowych i kompozycji 🎶 https://nyos.bandcamp.com/album/growl
#MetalHammer: “Wyrafinowany, złożony, a jednocześnie rozbrajająco prosty – NYOS tworzy sztukę, którą trzeba zarówno zrozumieć, jak i odczuć”.
#Bandcamp: “NYOS zestawia dysonansowy post-rock z wyrafinowanym jazz-fusion, zapewniając nieprzewidywalne i wciągające wrażenia słuchowe”.
Zapraszamy sprawdzić to na żywo 17.01 📣 https://hyperfollow.com/nyos17012026
Psychonaut – World Maker Review
By Kenstrosity
Over the course of the last five years and change, my estimation of Belgian three-piece Psychonaut has only increased. Where I unfortunately missed out on Violate Consensus Reality for review duties, I didn’t let it slip outside of my listening rotation—certainly not after such an impressive debut, Unfold the God Man. I underrated that outing, citing bloat as the main drawback. Little did I consider that Psychonaut’s music often needs much more time than we’re given as our standard reviewing window to fully bloom. The psychedelic proggy post-metal purveyors boast a thoughtful and deeply layered songwriting approach that can’t be captured by a casual spin or three. Hence why I asked for World Maker, the trio’s third opus, early.
This proved to be a wise choice, as World Maker once again showcases the kind of writing that expands with a seemingly infinite upper limit over the course of time and attention. Less immediate than Violate Consensus Reality and less intimidating than Unfold the God Man, World Maker plucks the ripest fruit from each endeavor to formulate a rich and tantalizing concoction worthy of peddling alongside household names like The Ocean, Pink Floyd, and even Tool. World Maker is in some ways more intense (“Endless Currents”), and in others more relaxed (“…Everything Else is Just the Weather”), and all-around more psychedelic than what I’ve heard from Psychonaut before. Yet, it wholly retains Psychonaut’s uncanny knack for organic, almost primal rhythms, fluid transitions, and captivating phrases that achieves comparable success with or without vocals (“Origins”).
What sets World Maker apart from either of its predecessors is refinement in songwriting. Their base formula remains intact, but the methods with which Psychonaut compose and perform these latest arrangements ooze sophistication and finesse. Epic tracks like “And You Came with Searing Light” and “Stargazer,” in particular, showcase some of Psychonaut’s strongest and most satisfying writing to date. Exploring a wide gamut of textures, tones and tempos, these long-form journeys balance the power of the riff utilized on “You Are the Sky…” and “Endless Erosion” with the introspective post-metal lightness illuminated on “…Everything Else is Just the Weather” and “All in Time.” Generous and varied application of this strategy album-wide affords Psychonaut’s impeccably detailed compositions ample room for natural transformations between the monstrous and the gentle. This, in turn, allows World Maker to feel alive, to grow and evolve with every passing minute, and each subsequent spin.
As such, World Maker takes time and commitment to fully appreciate. It moves with such grace that its hour-long 1 runtime shrinks dramatically before me; that much became evident almost immediately. At the same time, it’s a dense and complex work that unfolds across multiple dimensions more rapidly than any one explorer can keep step. Perhaps this is a reflection of the circumstances surrounding its creation. With guitarist/vocalist Stefan de Graef’s entry into new fatherhood to devastating news of his father’s and bassist/vocalist Thomas Michiels’ father’s advanced cancer diagnoses, a newfound focus on the here and now illuminates the emotional shades that help define and color World Maker’s deeply affecting compositions. Trading off bright glimmers of hope with the looming shadow of grief, and simultaneously carrying the weight of everything that falls between, informs every moment of World Maker. This makes it a much more personal record than its predecessors. Moreover, Psychonaut curated an inviting, vulnerable space so that I might join in their joys and their sorrows through this work, creating a special kind of intimacy that is a privilege to share.
Even for those who lack the context in their own lives yet to fully identify with the stories and messages explored here, World Maker will likely have a substantial impact. It is a record that demands not just your full attention, but also your recurring presence. A single spin, or even three, is wholly insufficient to chart in totality what Psychonaut attempts to communicate here. These are songs meant to somehow, in some way, encapsulate the breadth of life and all of the lessons it teaches, the pains it inflicts, and the exhilaration it inspires. In my opinion, Psychonaut achieved a difficult, delicate balance within that astounding spectrum. All you need to see it for yourself is an open heart and a little time.
Rating: Great!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: psychonautband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/psychonautband
Releases Worldwide: October 24th, 2025
#2025 #40 #BelgianMetal #Oct25 #PelagicRecords #PinkFloyd #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Psychonaut #Review #Reviews #TheOcean #Tool #WorldMaker
La #newsletter de septembre est en ligne !
Arrivée de Lizzard #artrock #pelagicrecords, nouveau titre #techno, tournée #ambient et #mathrock... Bonne lecture !
LIZZARD #pelagicrecords
#artrock #progressiverock
https://lizzardband.bandcamp.com/
Le trio aux accents groovy de Mastodon et aux refrains accrocheurs sauce Baroness est d'ores et déjà en tournée sur cette fin d'année !
- 14 décembre ⚠️ cherche date !
- 13 décembre ⚠️ cherche date !
- 12 décembre @ Le Pont de Singe, Arras
- 11 decembre @ Dropkick bar, Orléans
- 24 Aout Pelagic Fest w/ Psychonaut, Hypno5e...
Blessings – Blodsträngen Review
By Owlswald
Originating from the same vibrant scene that has spawned acts ranging from At the Gates to Ace of Base, Gothenburg experimental noise quartet Blessings have been forging their own path within the borders of Sweden’s olde harbor city for thirteen years. Comprised of long-standing veterans of the Swedish scene, Blessings have been worshipping at the altar of turmoil since its 2012 debut, Bittervaten came out waving a Black Flag of loud, Unsanely harsh, in-your-face noise rock. Subsequent years of relentless touring and creative experimentation culminated in the follow-up, Biskopskniven1 which leaned more heavily into rhythmic anchoring, trance-inducing moods, and riffing. With Blodsträngen,2 Blessings is poised to take listeners on an intense, genre-bending journey, venturing into increasingly experimental and unconventional sonic territory.
Blodsträngen blends the grit of punk, the expansiveness of post-rock, and hardcore’s raw aggression into an intensely juxtaposed sound that is dark, abrasive, and dramatic. Guitarist Johan G Winther lays down chunky Mastodon-style motifs (“Copper + Dirt,” “Raised on Graves”), shoegaze melodies (“No Good Things,” “Strings of Red”) and bursts of dissonant chords (“Clean”). Mattias Rasmusson’s booming rock grooves drive moments of Old Man Gloom-like explosiveness, while Erik Skytt’s percussive accents and expressive modular tones—featuring everything from organs, cowbells, and woodblocks to a xylophone—strategically guide listeners through Blodsträngen. Fredrik Karlsson’s powerful voice commands excellent projection, especially during Blodsträngen’s darker verses, alternating between spoken-sung punk vocals reminiscent of The Jesus Lizard or early Killing Joke (“No Good Things,” “Clean”) and throaty, abrasive howls (“Allt Vi Kan Ge Är Upp,” “Strings of Red”). Overall, Blodsträngen sounds massive and confrontational, the instrumentation hitting well above its weight, piercing a bright master that belies its DR score.
Blodsträngen is best experienced as an immersive, uninterrupted ride. Its seven tracks flow seamlessly, shifting moods and textures while progressively intensifying. The record immediately kicks off with its strongest material, showcasing Blessings’ dynamic songwriting and unique sound. “Raised on Graves” quickly establishes its edgy, ominous feel, creating foreboding through Winther’s haunting notes, Karlsson’s growling bass, and Skytt’s tribal accents. Eschewing a predictable crescendo, it cleverly loops back to another verse before diving headfirst into full-blown punk with an insistent tambourine. An isolated cowbell punctuates the track, serving as a stark prelude to “Strings of Red,” which explodes into a hardcore frenzy after spells of tense breaths. Skytt’s suspenseful synth leads and Winther’s aggressive riffing drive the song, which serves as a definitive statement of Blessings’ ability to produce hard-hitting material with intriguing textural elements, despite its meandering finish. Rounding out the album’s robust first third is the ambitious and lengthy “Clean,” one of Blodsträngen’s longest tracks. Highlighted by what might be one of the gnarliest bass tones I’ve heard in ages, Karlsson’s hefty bass line and somber vocal delivery channels a Filter-esque vibe before a devastating breakdown tears through the mix. The song works beautifully once it gains momentum, though its dragging intro and overlong build partially weigh it down.
Blodsträngen starts with incredible momentum and promise, making Blessings’ subsequent struggles to maintain its energy all the more disappointing. While “Allt Vi Kan Ge Är Upp” injects much-needed vigor back into Blodsträngen with its dominant rhythms and exhilarating crescendo, “No Good Things” marks a noticeable dip in energy. The track lacks the compositional ambition of the album’s earlier material, consequently feeling plain as it relies too much on Skytt’s quirky samples and Karlsson’s vocals. “Copper + Dirt” is a short burst of aggressive, riff-driven material that abruptly ends after less than two minutes, a confusing result that feels wholly out of place. Finally, the terrific, harmonized melodies from Winther and Skytt within the first half of “Through Veils of Glass and Silica” suffer, unfortunately, from its excessive length and meandering post-rock sections, which leave Blodsträngen ending on a drawn-out note.
Blessings is a good band, but Blodsträngen is a front-loaded album that left me wishing these Swedes had maintained their peak energy for the entire forty-one minutes. When they’re firing on all cylinders, Blessings crafts unique, powerful, and atmospherically heavy music. Their future success hinges on maintaining their intensity and sharpening their songwriting, steering clear of unnecessary repetition or padding. A great album is potentially waiting in the wings, and Blessings certainly has the talent to deliver. The question is, will they?
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: blessingsgbg.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Blessingsgbg
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025
#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackFlag #Blessings #Blodsträngen #ExperimentalMetal #Filter #KillingJoke #Mastodon #Noise #NoiseRock #OldManGloom #PelagicRecords #PostRock #postPunk #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal #TheJesusLizard #Unsane
By Killjoy
Despite the importance that many metal and rock subgenres place on instrumentation, music without vocals often proves a tough nut to crack. Without the inherent structure that generally comes from writing vocal lines or the unique individuality of a human voice, it’s difficult to grab—much less keep—a listener’s attention. Still, that doesn’t stop a multitude of artists from reaching for a slice of the wordless glory. The latest of these is Hiroe, a newcomer post-rock group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, releasing their debut full-length Wield (following an EP, Wrought, in 2022). With promotional material describing a diverse, expansive, and epic writing approach, Hiroe is poised to offer a maximalist take on a traditionally minimalist genre.
Wield is indeed diverse, containing many of the various touchstones under the expansive post-rock umbrella. As is typical of instrumental acts, Hiroe principally relies on a three-pronged guitar alliance (Eric Kusanagi, Brian Kong, and Jill Paslier) to construct and embellish the music. On the one hand are serene, luscious melodies designed to ruffle the heartstrings similarly to pg.lost or Caspian. On the other hand are dense post-metal guitar clusters favored by Pelican and Isis. But somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, they reveal progressive inclinations, which is where bassist Jon Seiler and drummer Dan Sagherian shine the most, their knotty rhythms adding depth and complexity.
Hiroe seems indecisive about targeting the heart or the head and misses both. Not completely, of course, and Wield does start off promisingly. “The Calm” opens with a gorgeous, glassy melody that artfully evokes feelings of eagerness as it accumulates layer after layer. But soon these hopes are quite literally crushed by the thick, slow wall of post-metal guitar chords of “Tides.” The wall eventually cracks open and a ringing guitar lead spills forth, but Wield never properly follows through on the lush beauty teed up in the intro track or evokes much of an emotional response from me. Attempts at intellectual stimulation don’t often connect either. “Collider” is the most promising from a technical standpoint, opening with an intricate, swirling guitar melody that dazzles at first but tends to overpower the other instruments as it reoccurs. It rarely feels like the three guitarists and the bassist fully realize the rich, multilayered compositions for which Hiroe is aiming.
However, what most impedes Wield is an imbalance between repetition and progression. Disappointingly, in this regard, Wield is heavily weighted towards the former. There are some genuinely compelling melodies, but they tend to span too many minutes. The record is composed of only six tracks, all of which (save for the intro) are at least seven minutes long, and none warrant their lengthy runtime. To keep things moving along, the more homogeneous songs should have been shortened (“I’ve Been Waiting for You All My Life,” “Dancing at the End of the World”), whereas “Collider” could have been cleanly split into two separate songs. The back half of the album feels particularly listless, the exception being the fuzzy and chunky guitar distortion of “The Crush,” but, again, each passage lingers too long. It may appear unfair or even antithetical to criticize post-rock for repetition, but for a free-form instrumental variation to transcend background music, each individual passage must foster a natural continuity with the next without overstaying its welcome.
Ultimately, Wield proved to be a frustrating experience. I enjoy much of the music during a given moment, but it rarely feels like the constituent elements come together in a satisfying way. Though I can appreciate Hiroe’s attempt to expand the horizons of post-rock and post-metal, this repetitive long-form songwriting strategy is not working for me. Despite the overall tone of this review, I don’t actually dislike Wield, but I’m simply unmoved. That said, die-hard fans of the genre may well find more to enjoy than I did. Each member of Hiroe is a talented musician, and they’ll likely be a force to be reckoned with after maturing as composers.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: hiroe.bandcamp.com | hiroemusic.com | facebook.com/hiroemusic
Releases Worldwide: June 20th, 2025
#20 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Caspian #Hiroe #InstrumentalMetal #Isis #Jun25 #PelagicRecords #Pelican #pgLost #PostRock #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #Wield
#MusicMonday! Törzs - "Otthon"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3DyKpfbfpg
So beautiful. Just the right amout of space for every note to shine. 🙂
All my Monday picks in one convenient playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QM8g9O3FgZdaWeJPPMFrp
BRUIT ≤ – The Age of Ephemerality
(Post-Rock, Experimental, Modern Classical / Pelagic Records)
Wahnsinn, was BRUIT≤ da rausgehauen haben. Es ist kein typisches Pelagic Records – Album, da gefühlt alle anderen VÖs eher in die brachialere Ecke gehen. Nichts desto trotz ist „The Age Of Ephemerality“ eine Perle für jeden Post-Rock – Fan.
Review von @oranje1986:
https://vinyl-keks.eu/bruit≤-the-age-of-ephemerality/
#BRUIT≤ #Instrumental #Modern #Classical #PelagicRecords #PostRock #TheAgeofEphemeralitytoulouse
Stockholm's #GöstaBerlingsSaga delivers “Ceremonial,” a track they describe as “both lush and propulsive, highly electronic with an ending that lingers.” Twenty years in, these experimental prog veterans still call it simply “Eternal Rock.” 🤘⚡ #PelagicRecords #BestNewMusic2025 #Week20
https://go.stereobar.net/egityx2
About yesterday:
📍 #Poppodium Boerderij
🎶 #Klone
📽️ Sethpicturesmusic - Seth Abrikoos
💿 #PelagicRecords
🗓️ 10/5/2025
🏠 FOH:
Bruno Lausecker
💡 LD:
Kevin Lopin
🤘
Yann Ligner: Lead Vocals
Guillaume Bernard: Guitars
Aldrick Guadagnino: Guitars
Enzo Alfano: Bass
Morgan Berthet: Drums
Boerderij crew:
Marc Buis (LD)
Boris Stipdonk (FOH)
🔧
Dammes Nienhuis
Martijn Adegeest
Leo Koelman
you, infinite - you, infinite
(Post-Rock, Instrumental / @Pelagic Records)
"Von den ersten Tönen an wird klar, dass "You, Infinite" mit einer subtilen, aber tiefgründigen Klanglandschaft aufwartet. Der Opener „Focus On Reflection“ fängt das Album perfekt ein..."
Mehr zu diesen tiefgründigen Klanglandschaften hat @oranje1986 für euch in der Review.
https://vinyl-keks.eu/you-infinite-you-infinite/
#youinfinite #postrock #instrumental #pelagicrecords #vinyl #reveiw #vinylreview
#MusicMonday! SOM - "Chemicals"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRWoFkQtMdU
Still undecided if I really dig this or not, but I *have* listened to this track quite a bit this week, so there's that, I guess... I'll simply blame the chemicals! 😝
All my Monday picks in one convenient playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QM8g9O3FgZdaWeJPPMFrp
#nowplaying Disruption by Hanry
https://hanry.bandcamp.com/album/disruption
Some more #instrumental #postrock from #PelagicRecords. I like this one quite a bit.
Vous n'êtes pas prêts.
BRUIT ≤ (post rock / Toulouse) annonce la sortie de son nouvel album chez Pelagic Records et en clippe un premier extrait. Infos et vidéo : https://www.mowno.com/news/infos/bruit-%e2%89%a4-est-de-retour-et-ca-va-sentendre/
📸 Arnaud Payen
#bruit #postrock #toulouse #pelagicrecords #theageofephemerality #newsingle #newalbum #nowplaying #nowlistening #nowwatching