#FirstListen: Passages EP by Sunrot

I can't remember where I found this album. It could be through Apple Music's recommendations or it could be through Instagram. Either way, this was a good pick! Bravo, algorithm!

I'm glad my first listen of this was in the man-cave on the stereo because, as good as Airpods are, I don't think they could have done this one justice.

Having the walls shake a bit from the wall of terror produced in The First Wound made me sit up and pay a bit more attention. I initially thought I was just getting some more run-of-the-mill doomy noise, but I was wrong. 

I love the vocal mix and tracking. It reminds me of what Absent In Body did with Plague God: it sort of feels like I'm being yelled at by a god. It's massive and charts the perfect course of how I think metal vocals should sound.

When you arrive at the masterpiece of this EP, Untethered, you immediately know you're in for a treat. The guitars weave out a bleak, sober tapestry before everything kicks in and the bass starts driving the most beautiful, pulsing undercurrent. And to top it off we get the pained screams interplaying with a chanted melody that makes you give it your full attention.

The opening track, Death Knell, threatened that "there is no life in the void, only death" - they then went on to prove over this short EP that there most certainly is life here and whilst it's awash with anguish, there's aching beauty too if you pay close enough attention.

Looking forward to getting to know this band a lot more.