Naisian: ‘Mammalian’
(Unsigned)
Being given the chance to have a sneaky listen to the upcoming release from Sheffield’s purveyors of raw Post-Metal, Naisian, the opportunity arose to assess how deep these murky waters run; theirs is a genre with many notable forerunners who have had enough time to refine the challenging nature of their craft. So where can this debut from the unsigned qaurtet be placed amongst the sprawling and often indefinable movement?
One comparison was instantaneous upon first listen, and that is with noted luminaries Intronaut: immuteable intensity in the form of weighty riffing interspersed with softer, lighter melody. Whilst Naisian lack the same intricacy as Intronaut at this stage, there is a presence of undeniable sophistication in their compositions. Naisian’s strongest asset is the distinct moods and atmospheres that are cultivated over the course of their longer songs; from the eerie, feedback and classical instrument sample-laden title track (reminiscent of Drone masters ‘Sunn O)))‘) to the lighter, appealing tones of ‘Take Me to the Mountain Dew Mountain‘.
It is in the creation of these sonic atmospheres and soundscapes that a predilection for a seemingly experimental approach to riff-centric Metal can be appreciated. Progressive in a sense that the crushingly heavy riffing and growled vocal delivery forms a platform for seperate directions to stem from, which never conveys a feeling of any lack of a unified direction, as the muscianship remains tight and fluid throughout. Even during the most sparse sections, there remains a strong pulse of a driving rhythm; maintaining a mood for the listener to immerse themselves within.
Lyrically, Naisian employ stark imagery and fairly freely associated concepts, not dissimilar to many other bands within this genre or wider genres such as Doom. There seems to be no broad theme, concept or register that is shared amongst the five tracks of the album, meaning that this aspect of the music is intentionally undefined and open to the listener’s interpretation.
The strong DIY ethic apparent within Naisian has yielded an intriguing and explorative debut album in ‘Mammalian‘. With time, experience and experimentation, then this band could be capable of doing great things; whilst their very best is yet to come, this album sets out a marker. Here is a band that has embraced a sprawling genre and are in the process of carving their own niche and building their own interpretation of what makes the genre great. The album is available from their site on the 18th of this month. For any fans of challenging and heavy music in the vein of Intronaut, this debut can be recommended highly.
Can you spare a second? 