Glare of the Sun returns in 2024.
After a moment’s discretion, the Austrian band, made up of Christoph Stopper (vocals/effects, Circle of Ruins), Gerald Huber (guitar/vocals, Collapse 7, ex-Zombie Inc.), Martin Baumann (guitar), Tobias Schwab (bass) and Franz Ebert (drums), takes over the stage.
Colossus gets us off to a gentle start, an atmosphere that endures even as saturation takes over the slow riffs to accompany clean vocals and howls, progressing into dissonance in waves of intensity before joining Rain’s ominous guitars. The choruses become majestic, releasing all their airy strength, while other parts become more aggressive and the harmonics resume their role, bewitching us until Äon takes over, developing a heavy intoxicating slowness on which the vocalists anchor themselves to develop their parts. The instrumental runs its course harmoniously, eventually giving way to Relikt, which develops a slightly more disquieting atmosphere. This is confirmed by the predominance of screams and jerky riffs that appear from time to time in this ocean of appeasement, which is finally nuanced by an intriguing choir during the final, before Stonefall allows us a welcome moment of respite. The quietude is dissipated by the arrival of powerful riffs that remain in these heady tones before slowing down, then blazing up one last time to let Leaving Towards Spring hypnotize us in its turn with melodious harmonics, but the rhythm breaks with the appearance of J.J. (Harakiri For The Sky, Karg) on vocals, who gives a heart-rending tinge to the composition. The final instrumental section lulls us to sleep until Amnesty allows us to breathe, then suffocates us with its terrifying screams and stunned patterns, barely contrasted by the clear vocals that float between the restless waves until the final quietness.
The CD and digital versions of the album feature two additional tracks, starting with Storm of Light, which immediately imposes its oppressive nebulous leads, sometimes complemented by murmurs. The overall sound remains very dense, in contrast to Horizon, the second additional song, which remains much more rhythmic, with numerous intense cuts and reprises where the five musicians give their all to ensure a catchy mix before the more orchestral final.
Glare of the Sun perfectly knows how to captivate us in their moments of intensity, but also how to soothe us when their melancholy music demands it. Tal is a relatively long album, but one that’s easy to savor, as you let yourself be carried along by their waves of sadness.
90/100
