This is kind of ‘typical’ to be released for Hydra Head but damn is it GOOD! Mare incorporates the well travelled but not THAT well-travelled paths of Isis, Godflesh, Neurosis and Cult Of Luna. So expect some slow & occassionally midtempo full-sounding heaviness yet Mare mixes in some trippy & very mellow etheral vocal parts & jazz + slow-rock influences (Codeine and Slint come to mind most) that just seem to appear out of nowhere ‘ala Maudlin Of The Well. Altogether a really good debut EP.
((((1)))) Slow & occasionally midtempo number. Starts with a slow indie strum (‘ala Codeine or Slint) then glides down the winding path of doomed heaviness with kind of tortured vocals (that are somewhat reminicent of Isis & Converge mixed together).
((((2)))) Pretty ‘lil drone with mumbling vocals that get eventually clear. Very much etheral then it gets into a groovy Godflesh-like vibe (sans Broadrick & co.’s full scale oppressive heaviness) and some nice sparse drumming.
(((3))) Very slow Codeine like but with a slight “mumbly guy singing for some jazz band in hell” sound and weird tunings that punctuate the rest of the song.
((((4)))) Off-kilter tuning & strumming ‘ala Sonic Youth then slow intense, brooding heaviness with lots of tortured vocal. Somwhere around Neurosis meets Today Is The Day in slo-mo.
((((5)))) Unlisted & untitled track but it’s actually part 2 of the last track. This is some trippy acapella vocal thing that sounds like some unknown Beach Boys track as if constructed by Ulver and Neurosis.