Get ready for the unexpected with Floating.
For their second album, entitled Hesitating Lights, Arvid Sjödin (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Andreas Hörmark (bass/keyboards/programmed drums) have signed with the Transcending Obscurity label.
I Reached the Mew lets us get acquainted with a mysterious sound before applying the infernal saturation of its raw Death Metal, creating an unusual contrast, especially when the vocals join the mix. The ethereal background makes the aggression quite different, even allowing for haunting harmonics that join Grave Dog and its heavy, staccato patterns while the vocalist roars beneath this unsettling mix. There is a certain complexity in the rhythm, sometimes simplified to allow the softest sounds to enchant us before moving on to Cough Choir and its discreet Post Rock touches, while the vocals become increasingly wild. New, carefully crafted riffs fill the air, but the danceable tones of Exit Bag Song surprise us with their tranquility, quickly perverted by the unhealthy sounds of the dissonant rhythm section. The influences alternate skillfully before cutting off abruptly to let Hesitating Lights – Harmless Fires gradually establish its disturbing tones, followed by the drums, which will set things off in no time. Even if it comes in waves, the rhythm remains extremely effective, taking advantage of unexpected accelerations to reveal its rage before returning to calmer passages that rub off on Still Dark Enough, a composition that will transform into a confusing vortex with disturbing harmonics. Although we have been accustomed to it since the beginning of the album, the Post-Punk/Death Metal mix is still as surprising as ever, and The Wrong Body will be no exception despite its obvious initial aggressiveness that contrasts with the catchy atmosphere, and then it is with The Waking that the torrent of notes will take us on a journey, and mixing blasts with soaring effects has never seemed so natural.
If like me, you think that combining raw Death Metal and mysterious Post-Punk is impossible, Floating will prove you wrong. Hesitating Lights is obviously difficult to get into, but once you get past the initial barrier, it proves to be rich enough to win you over!
80/100