Post-rock and post-metal are genres that few dare to venture into, due to their often experimental leanings. However, those who give the style a chance should find something to love, especially considering the technically proficiency the musicians who perform in these genres tend to have. All the artists here are a little different from the norm, making rock/metal music with a difference. A full playlist can also be found at the bottom of the article, if you like what you read here.
Review by Jane Howkins
Photo by Morrison Reed
Morrison Reed – Electrify
First up is Australian artist Morrison Reed, with his eerie track Electrify. It opens with a slightly off-kilter drum beat, as a selection of otherworldly synths swirl around in the background. Fuzzy backing effects are added to create even more of an atmosphere, as his low vocals run along in the background. It’s a really unique sounding track and one that will appeal to those into their more experimental music. Despite the divergent sounds of the track, the bass and drums actually combine to make a semi-catchy rhythm, adding another cool element to this tune.
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Hozomeen – Call The Hogs
The intriguingly titled Call The Hogs is a track taken from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne artist Hozomeen’s album, The Void. It’s quite a heavy song, containing a huge barrage of guitar riffs as the song opens up. The riffs continue through the tune, as a distorted set of vocals kick in. It’s a little hard to make the lyrics out at times, but the vocals are suitably stylistic, adding a much darker tone to this cool sounding piece of work. The song breaks down in the middle slightly with some discordant sounds, before the pace picks back up again for a while. It’s certainly an interesting song!
Social media: Bandcamp
Hozomeen doesn’t have a Spotify, Soundcloud or Youtube platform, but you can check the track out here: Call The Hogs | Hozomeen (bandcamp.com)
Tsau – Tunnel
It’s not often we hear music from Russia, so Moscow band Tsau is very welcome indeed! Tunnel is the first track from their EP We Collide – it’s a beautiful piece of music, featuring a gorgeous electric guitar arpeggio that runs through the piece. Little guitar motifs break off from the main melody every so often, helping to keep things interesting as the tension builds up over time. It turns into a full on rock prog rock tune later on, with several guitar solos playing over each other in an astounding way.
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He Didn’t – Open Dust Loop
Open Dust Loop is a track from He Didn’t’s latest EP release, Loop Ritual. It’s a darkly atmospheric piece of work, starting out with some highly distorted guitar lines. Differing guitar melodies break off from the main melody as the song progresses, creating quite a menacing sound in this track. There isn’t that much variety, but the music really works as a whole, drawing you in and building the tension up as the song progresses. It’s paints a gorgeously bleak texture of the world, making this a must listen track.
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Baby Schillaci – So Bad
So Bad is a little more mainstream than some of the other songs on this list, but it’s still well worth a listen! Baby Schillaci’s track opens up with a creeping bassline, as some discordant sound effects break off from the main melody, adding an eerie vibe. The vocals are low, having an almost whispered quality at times. The track changes about halfway through, turning into more of a rocker, as the drums and guitars kick in properly. It’s a really interesting song and one our readers should love!
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Saves the Witch – It’s Dangerous to go Alone, Take Me
Saves the Witch have a much mellower sound than the previous tune, with their latest release, It’s Dangerous to go Alone, Take Me, being a guitar drive track with a chilled out vibe. A gorgeously clean guitar melody runs through the piece, changing every so often as other guitar motifs play along in the background. A steady, electronic drum beat guides the track through its movements, acting as a nice backbeat to the tune. It’s an instrumental track, but it’s beautiful enough to exist with vocals. This is the perfect song for relaxing to at the end of a long day at work.
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Torre di Fine – Vanta
Vanta is the first song on Torre di Fine’s album Girl On The Shore, released at the start of March this year. It’s more of what you might expect from a ‘typical’ post-rock tune, featuring a set of discordant instruments that create a suitably eerie vibe. It starts out quietly, before the main instrumentation kicks in, creating something rather unsettling at times. However, about halfway through the tune changes, with a beautiful string section appearing, alongside a fingerpicked guitar melody. It makes for a nice change of pace from the first part of this lengthy track.
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Fury of a Dying Planet – Bloodied Fjords
Bloodied Fjords actually has quite an 80s vibe, changing this list up a little. The bass is really prominent here, throbbing away in the background as it provides the main verse melody at the start of this track. Fury of a Dying Planet is more of a metal project, featuring a slew of heavy riffs that burst out of the tune with masses of energy. The tempo is more similar to the hardcore punk genre, as huge drumbeats pulsate alongside the guitars and bass. The vocals are surprisingly melodic at times, showing a band capable of performing many different styles of music.
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M’lasse – Les Yeux
Canadian group M’Lasse are doing something a little more melodic, with their song Les Yeux, which is the first track from their EP, M’lasse. The bass is actually more prominent than the jangly guitars in the background, changing things up nicely. The bass ebbs away against the drumbeat, as a set of dreamy, high-pitched vocals sing along to the main melody. A fuzzy guitar riff emerges next, giving the track an extra raw quality, before the melodic section arrives once again. The everchanging dynamics really make this piece something special!
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Unscored – Heft
Melbourne group Unscored bring a good dose of energy to this list with their new song, Heft. It’s a noisy rock song with some divergent riffs that break off every so often in an amazing way. The rhythm is fast and frantic, with some cool percussion crashing about in a brilliant way next to the rest of the music. The band even have a brass section, which makes it sound extremely unique. There’s so much going on here that you will need to listen to it a few times over to be able to appreciate everything, but Heft really is a fantastic listen!
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Fabio Ferri – The Firebird
At first listen, The Firebird sounds like a bit of an outlier, as it’s very jazzy. However, those into more experimental styles of music should be able to appreciate it, as Fabio Ferri has certainly made an interesting tune. The track starts off with Fabio noodling around on the guitar for a while, before it changes into a slightly different type of song, with some clashing riffs melding with the brass instruments in a killer way. It mellows down again towards the end, showing just how talented Fabio is. If you like your music a bit different to the norm, The Firebird is for you.
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Clifford the Band – Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums is perhaps more of an art rock song, but it still has its place here. Clifford the Band have included some really interesting guitar work here, with multiple guitar lines breaking off from the main rhythm in a fast fashion. The vocals have a somewhat harmonious quality, singing over the music in an intriguing way. Despite the heaviness, there is a sense of melody present here, if you listen to the track properly. The ending of the track is actually quite beautiful at times, taking the pace down a little.
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THORN – WE ARE HAPPY (Of The Pale Criminal)
The curiously titled WE ARE HAPPY (Of The Pale Criminal) is a new track from THORN, the enigmatic brainchild of London musician Charlie Thorne. It’s one of the most polarising songs on this list, seeing Charlie using some eerie backing effects mixed in with the music to create something that actually sounds pretty creepy at times. The vocals are mostly whispered, surrounded by static as the discordant bass, guitar and drums play along in the background. If you listen closely, you’ll see that the vocals largely follow the drum beats, adding a touch more melody into the music
Social media: Soundcloud, Instagram, Website, Spotify, TikTok
Cheree – A Choice
A Choice is the first track from Cheree’s new album release Factory, released at the end of last month. It starts out with a programmed drum beat, before the heavy riffs come in. A Choice is possibly more of a noise rock song at times, but it still belongs here, as Cheree are certainly doing something very different to the traditional rock norms on this track! The vocals are extremely brutal, positively shrieking the lyrics out in a brutal way. It’s not going to be perfect for everyone, but those who like their rock hard and heavy should check this out.
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Good God Father – Prince of the Air
Good God Father describe their music as being ‘freak gospel pop’, but Prince of the Air still very much belongs here! It’s one of the most brutal songs I’ve ever heard in my life, as it’s a complete assault on the senses. The riffs and drums are simply blistering when they kick in, followed by the emotive vocals which are spat out over the music. There’s a small break down in the middle as everything becomes a lot more harmonic, as some recorded spoken vocals appear. However, the music becomes a lot heavier again towards the end, ending on a high note.
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Sleemo – Y.A.N.O.
Y.A.N.O. is another unique rock and roll song, this time coming from Sleemo’s newly released album of the same name. One of the things I liked about this track is that it uses both singing and screaming at different times, adding a little more variety to the track. The riffs are discordant yet groovy, working under your skin in real time as you listen to the music. It’s quite brutal at times, yet it also sounds really epic, drawing in the listener immediately. Sleemo are definitely ones to watch in the future!
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Post-Rock – playlist by York Calling | Spotify