US band EARTHSIDE is a fairly recent addition to the ranks of metal bands with a desire to explore territories with more of a progressive intent. They have been in existence in some form or another since 2012 or thereabouts, and appears to have taken the time needed to hone their craft. “A Dream in Static” is their debut album, and was self-released in October 2015.
The band describes their music as cinematic rock, and while that is an apt description on some levels, it doesn’t at all indicate the width and scope of the material they produce and the depth of the landscapes they explore. The description metal needs to be applied for starters, and for those who associate cinematic with careful, unobtrusive soundtrack quality music, well, this isn’t it. If one were to describe this production as one that contains an elaborate form of modern progressive metal with cinematic touches you’d probably be much closer to the greater reality here, and one might add that this is an album with something of a zeitgeist feel to it as well. It’s most certainly a product of this specific period in time, a creation that couldn’t have been made 5 years ago.
Massive, monumental and booming guitar riffs ebbing and flowing in intensity and pace is a key feature throughout, with room for both aggressive pounding riff attacks and quirkier, unpredictable riff constructions. Most times alternating with sequences with much more of a careful expression, ranging from frail plucked guitar and piano motifs in a dual fragile harmony to more dramatic orchestral textures, the latter with a tendency to build in intensity and transition smoothly back into one of the numerous distinctly metal-based themes explored. Classic progressive metal themes with guitars and keyboards isn’t a style you’ll encounter too often here though, if at all, but indie-flavored sections with a sound not too unlike Radiohead (if they played metal) is one feature here, and on the other end of the metal scale we find massive. dark and subtly djent-tinged riffs as a bombastic presence.
The use of orchestral details does add a few additional aspects to this production, both when used in the gentler passages as well as when deployed as supplemental features for the various riff-dominated metal runs, much the same can be said about the m ore careful piano, guitar and electronic details liberally used to flavor the soundscapes. An additional details that is a strong identity mark here is the use of nervous, intense light toned guitar textures, adding a distinct touch of post rock to the proceedings. That many of the compositions at the core is built around an ebb and flow movement rather similar to one of the more common approaches by post rock bands adds a certain emphasis to that aspect of the sound and style explored by Earthside, so that post metal may arguably be a better indication to what this band is all about, even if their take on that style isn’t all that similar to what most bands described as post metal sounds like, at least from my personal and admittedly limited experience in such matters.
“A Dream in Static” comes across as an excellently made album, where the compositions are well thought out, the recordings mixed and produced to a high level of excellency, and all the compositions sports a massive amount of detailed arrangements it will take a few listens to get accustomed to. It’s also a rather challenging production due to this, at least if you are the kind of listener that prefer to listen to your music with full concentration. My impression is that this is an album that demands that approach too, to get a grip on everything that is going on and ongoing here. A quality CD of contemporary progressive metal, flavored with cinematic effects and defined post rock details, and one worth checking out if you think you’ll enjoy a fairly challenging but well made album’s worth of that kind of music.
My rating: 85/100
