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10 out of 10
With the name of the album as well as the majority of the song titles consisting of an entirely fictitious vocabulary, Reading progressive metal trio No Made Sense’s debut full length instantly stands out as an intriguing conceptual idea. With only one EP release to-date, their chance to shine has arrived. What follows is over 70 minutes of barely controlled apocalyptic mayhem. Akin to the aural devastation of Neurosis and genuinely deserving of such a comparison, ’The Epillanic Choragi’ is about as bold an opening statement as a band can make.
The main songs within all clock in at nine minutes plus and see the band utilising their instruments effectively to create huge crescendos of sound, impossibly conceived by a mere three people. The title track is the perfect showcase to No Made Sense’s sound; a complex wash of heavier-than-thou riffs and frontman Leo Dennett’s tortured vocals, combined with distinct basslines and pummelling drums that control the chaos and create it in equal doses. ’Entases Of Azure’ continues the madness, abating at all the right moments before storming back into the turmoil. Placed amongst these numbers are a handful of three minute instrumentals that, far from being filler material, become eerie pockets of haunting melody and electronic effects that add to the atmosphere and to the build up of a bleak, mountainous progressive metal composition.
Surpassing Gojira at their most epic and leaving Red Harvest sounding like a gang of schoolgirls, this is Remission-era Mastodon with a wash of Earthtone9-isms and a more than adequate slice of No Made Sense’s own signature reverberating din. The crisp production is also a big plus, giving the album a modern twist without compromising the absolutely huge sound the band manage to create.
The key element to No Made Sense is that they are able to effortlessly combine progressive elements with earth-shattering riffs to create a beast that is instantly accessible, yet always absorbing. The climax to ’Epinolitholatyr’ in particular, without needing to be excessively complex, is nothing short of stunning. You will be hard pressed to find a more crushing finale to an album. anywhere. The proceeding and penultimate 90 seconds allow for a quick respite, but once my senses have returned and the harrowing final piano note of ’Wake Of Syr (II)’ echoes into silence, I’m practically launching myself at the stereo for the repeat button.
There’s no question about it, ’The Epillanic Choragi’ is a very, very impressive debut. Unrelenting, immersing and deliciously oppressive; a heavy metal Lynchian science fiction nightmare that knows no bounds.
For those who find themselves forever yearning for a worthy contender to the throne of Neurosis, or for those who find Isis as increasingly forgettable as their vinyl pressing history, No Made Sense need to be in your 'absolutely fucking essential' list. Someone is going to have to create something very special to remove this from the top of my ’album of the year contender’ spot.
Listen: www.myspace.com/nomadesense
Tracklist:
1. Wake Of Syr
2. The Epillanic Choragi
3. Entases Of Azure
4. Seeking Beyond
5. Milachis Depth
6. Aciculaccolith
7. Elico Moieties
8. Porphyrachis
9. Epinolitholatyr
10. Wake Of Syr (II)
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