Two bands, two tracks, eighteen minutes and exactly zero fucks given about your aural health, or inevitable neck trauma—that is how the numbers add up for this split EP from Boston sludge/post-metal heavyweight SEA, and New Hampshire celestial instru-metal 3-piece, KYOTY. You can preorder this “ALL CAPS” tag-team release on cassette from Deafening Assembly.
KYOTY’s 10-minute offering, the modestly-titled L, is a cinematically immersive experience built atop other-worldy atmosphere, sonic contrast and a perfectly-paced narrative arc. The track opens with a dark ambient section with all the echoes, unsettling rattles and subterranean drones usually reserved for avant-garde minimalists like Lustmord or Robert Rich. A few minutes in, Rob Brown’s drums do a bit of the heavy-lifting while disparate and punishing guitar chords slowly congeal. All the while, the buzz and crackle of synths whirl a mechanical nightmare-scape and the bass is an omnipresent hum and thud.
About the halfway point, the hypnotic pulse gives way to more complexity and a dare-I-say “traditional” post-metal section. Nick Filth’s reverb-drenched and tremolo-heavy guitar work is quite majestic here. Nathaniel Parker Raymond’s bass is filthy-heavy and fortified with a stiff dose of crunchy distortion. As if the drumming wasn’t pummeling enough, there are some head-swinging blast beats in there for good measure. All of these pieces come together to paint a sci-fi-ish conflict the size of galaxies, complete with alien worlds and collapsing supernovae. By the end of the song, all Hell has been let loose and a cloud of feedback lingers like a stellar dust cloud.
L continues KYOTY’s brand of instrumental sludge/doom that echoes the likes of Pelican, Red Sparowes or even Cloudkicker, but stays adventurous and atmospherically saturated. I particularly enjoy the inclusion of industrial elements, as it creates a conflict of sorts with the more ethereal sections and ultimately a more engaging experience. L is instrumental story-telling 101.
SEA’s 8-minute post-apocalytic torrent, “Breathe”, begins with Andrew Muro’s gargantuan drum work and thick-as-tar bass, courtesy of Stephen Lo Verme, emerging from a wall of feedback. By the time the churning guitars kick in, I am seeing visions of Lemmy’s ghost at the wheel of some heavy machinery rolling across a Mad Max-ian wasteland, kicking up grit and dust. The tempo picks up shortly after bringing with it our first blast of Lo Verme’s howling/screaming vocal assault. Then all plunges back into SEA’s signature sludge, as a dark prophecy is called out, “No hope. No future.”
Early on, SEA establishes the dynamics that make them such a terrific listen. Throughout the track, they move mightily from doom-y riffing, to post-metal loftiness. “Clean” vocals create passages that are wonderfully moody to compliment the scorching screams. Liz Doom and Mike Blasi’s chugging guitar murk is balanced perfectly with hints of brightness in a few quieter moments. The musicianship is top-notch across the board, and the production showcases SEA’s proficiency while maintaining that suffocating atmosphere.
Stylistically, there is a definite nod to Panopticon-era Isis, but don’t get me wrong, SEA is a torch-bearer, not a knock-off. This ecological nightmare of a song only furthers SEA’s standing in the rich Mass metal scene.
Both KYOTY and SEA will be playing at the Democracy Center in Cambridge on April 15, with Courage Cloak and Big Mess. You can also purchase the cassette at the show.
