US band GYRE was formed back in 2011, and since the inception they have released three EPs. “Moirai” is the most recent of these, and was made available through Bandcamp in May 2015.
The initial striking feature of this metal band is that they are loud and aggressive. The bass is booming, the riffs gnarly and aggressive, the guitar solos are shearing and the drums are pounding. The second aspect of the material that strikes you is that this is also a complex and sophisticated unit, that explores quirky and relatively unconventional landscapes. Not that this band have managed to strike a golden vein of unexplored music, but more a case of blending elements in a manner not too many often do. As far as general style go progressive metal is probably the best description to use, albeit in this case rather far removed from the landscapes explored by the originators of that specific style.
On one hand Gyre heads into fairly aggressive landscapes that to my ears have a certain orientation towards stuff like metalcore and djent, with bombastic and technical guitar riffs, quirky and demanding rhythms and aggressive hoarse vocals suitable to those landscapes, but they also blend in aspects of a more delicate nature, of the kind that makes me think of a band like Muse with a stronger and more distinct indie or alternative rock expression, complete with melodic, finely controlled lead vocals. The band navigate back and forth between these fairly different landscapes with relative ease and good control, never afraid to take a slight left turn to incorporate some groove laden thrash sequences into the proceedings. But most of all the music is loud, complex and in your face, explored and performed in a highly compelling manner.
This description can be applied, more or less, to four of the five tracks on this EP. As for the odd one out, that is the title track Moirai, an epic length excursion that heads out into a slightly different landscape. This composition is much more controlled and not by far as aggressive, and while it does touch base with some groove laden thrash it does so with more of a grunge feel to it, blending and alternating this with controlled metal not too far away from the likes of Tool, and also toss in some post rock / post metal details just for the sake of it. Still undeniable metal through and through, but more controlled, where the aggression is more harnessed and refined if you like.
Gyre describes their music as “Progmetal with a tendency to thrash and groove”, which is a nice indication on what to expect. Add loud music, aggression and complexity to the mix, and your idea of what to expect should be somewhat better. Meshuggah and Mastodon are named as two of many bands enjoyed by the members of Gyre, and personally I’d toss in Muse as a reference too. If you can imagine a meeting of minds among those three, and find that notion enticing, then Gyre’s latest EP “Moirai” is one that presumably should interest you.
My rating: 96/100
