post rock
"Post rock is dead", he wrote, followed by "the new albums are just swan songs of a dying genre." I had to admit, for a dumb cunt he knew very well how to write down his opinion on the matter. Of course, his post was answered by a heap of recent albums, quite often accompanied with friendly remarks like "go choke on a bag of glass" or "go troll your mom". I didn't react. People who know me are quite aware of my opinion of the term "dead genre". For starters, I don't actually believe in genres. There's good music, tolerable music and music that annoys me, all else is nonsense, invented by music journalists who think they are the crème de la crème in the world of pop criticism.
Second, fuck that, there are shiploads of decent albums being made today. I could probably stone you to death with all the brilliant (or tolerable) releases I have received in 2018. In the post rock scene alone, hell, in the Belgian post rock scene alone, there have been some addictive pieces of music. Astodan did a great job, so did Wanheda, but if you ask me, "which Belgian post rock band is ready for the top levels of the genre?", I'd have to go with Celestial Wolves. Good thing that this is supposed to be a review for their album, no?
Anyway. Celestial Wolves is a post rock band from Belgium, shaped on the same anvil as many of your favorite post rock acts. Everything about 'Call Of The Void' screams Dunk! festival. I would be hugely surprised if they wouldn't make the line-up next year. In fact, judging from the music filling the air in my living room, Celestial Wolves are ready to climb the ladder and play right in front of the headliners. But that's not up to me to decide, I'll leave that to the nice people in Zottegem.
'Call Of The Void' contains six tracks. It begins with an epic piece, 'Bátur Hvarf', one of those post rock anthems that easily manage to win over the doubters. I could throw around with a bunch of names. Yes, the usual suspects appear: Explosions, GIAA, TWDY and a bunch of other names I don't want to type out fully. However, I think the best way to describe this is by mentioning the strong, mature and narrative sound of Celestial Wolves. No, it's nothing new or refreshing but it is close to perfect.
If you are a fan of this genre, you simply can no longer deny that Celestial Wolves are a force to be reckoned with. A song like 'Porcupine Bank' can easily set its foot next to the big players. And quite frankly, a song like '-128,6 °F' can probably kick some of those classics out of people's all time top-20. For those who like it heavy, the stoner rock inspired 'Bangui' is a must-hear. You'll bang your head in no time, for sure. And then there is the overall breathtaking closer 'Karoshi', another nice jewel in the crown of post rock.
Oh well, opinionating little asshole fans aside, post is rock is far from dead. None of these tracks here sound like a swan song, on the very contrary. This is a vibrant, immersive and captivating post rock album, containing all the right ingredients for Celestial Wolves to rise to very high levels. I have a feeling that these guys are going to do exactly that in a tent in Zottegem somewhere at the end of May.
Serge
Second, fuck that, there are shiploads of decent albums being made today. I could probably stone you to death with all the brilliant (or tolerable) releases I have received in 2018. In the post rock scene alone, hell, in the Belgian post rock scene alone, there have been some addictive pieces of music. Astodan did a great job, so did Wanheda, but if you ask me, "which Belgian post rock band is ready for the top levels of the genre?", I'd have to go with Celestial Wolves. Good thing that this is supposed to be a review for their album, no?
Anyway. Celestial Wolves is a post rock band from Belgium, shaped on the same anvil as many of your favorite post rock acts. Everything about 'Call Of The Void' screams Dunk! festival. I would be hugely surprised if they wouldn't make the line-up next year. In fact, judging from the music filling the air in my living room, Celestial Wolves are ready to climb the ladder and play right in front of the headliners. But that's not up to me to decide, I'll leave that to the nice people in Zottegem.
'Call Of The Void' contains six tracks. It begins with an epic piece, 'Bátur Hvarf', one of those post rock anthems that easily manage to win over the doubters. I could throw around with a bunch of names. Yes, the usual suspects appear: Explosions, GIAA, TWDY and a bunch of other names I don't want to type out fully. However, I think the best way to describe this is by mentioning the strong, mature and narrative sound of Celestial Wolves. No, it's nothing new or refreshing but it is close to perfect.
If you are a fan of this genre, you simply can no longer deny that Celestial Wolves are a force to be reckoned with. A song like 'Porcupine Bank' can easily set its foot next to the big players. And quite frankly, a song like '-128,6 °F' can probably kick some of those classics out of people's all time top-20. For those who like it heavy, the stoner rock inspired 'Bangui' is a must-hear. You'll bang your head in no time, for sure. And then there is the overall breathtaking closer 'Karoshi', another nice jewel in the crown of post rock.
Oh well, opinionating little asshole fans aside, post is rock is far from dead. None of these tracks here sound like a swan song, on the very contrary. This is a vibrant, immersive and captivating post rock album, containing all the right ingredients for Celestial Wolves to rise to very high levels. I have a feeling that these guys are going to do exactly that in a tent in Zottegem somewhere at the end of May.
Serge
