God Is An Astronaut is on fire again.
Created by brothers Torsten (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Niels Kinsella (bass/guitar/visuals), quickly joined by Lloyd Hanney (drums), the band marks 2024 with Embers, their twelfth album.
Apparition begins by developing a relatively soaring volatile atmosphere, before Prog patterns and saturation weigh down the sound, making it much catchier and more rhythmic. The oriental influences remain perfectly integrated into the composition before giving way to a more vaporous approach on Falling Leaves, letting the harmonics fly around us while the base progresses gently, whether in gentleness or intensity, to reach the quietude of Odyssey and its bewitching melodies. At times, I find a certain disquieting darkness, confirmed by the dark groove of the dissonant saturation which in turn suffocates us, then returns to softness to evaporate and give way to the beauty of Heart Of Roots. The lead parts are simply sublime and natural, and the composition transports us from start to finish before abandoning us in the shadow of Embers, the eponymous track whose cosmic yet majestic approach fascinates us in another way, with at times even more jerky and complex, even aggressive moments throughout its ten minutes. The sound calms down again with the mysterious Realms and its intoxicating keyboards, then the guitars return to give Oscillation its oppressive aspect despite the energetic touches that the base offers at times, with disturbing regularity. Keyboards reappear to cast an intriguing shadow over Prism, but the composition as a whole remains calm and soothing, with only the lightest of drums appearing over time, before Hourglass reveals its ambient melancholy, slowly building up its riffs to finally reach the climax where all instruments fade away into the mist.
Although it’s hard to convince me when it comes to instrumentals, God Is An Astronaut easily pulls it off. As complex and tortured as it is natural and soothing, Embers has no reason to be ashamed of its predecessors, and imposes its heady atmosphere.
90/100
