Moase is a band from Portugal, founded in 2012. 'Vertigo' is their debut full-length but in 2013 they already released an ep. That ep gained them some recognition and the friendship of fellow countrymen Löbo. Now that's thought, how about Löbo and Moase touring Europe together, I'd like to see that. With this new album, Moase try to break through in the world of post-rock and atmospheric post-metal, or whatever tags you want to give their music.
At least a few members of Moase seem to have a background in doom metal and either symphonic metal or ambient. The riffs are lead heavy, sludgy at times but not as loaded with fuzz as most of today's sludge acts. Instead, these riffs are played with a sound reminiscent to post-rock and accompagnied by dynamic drums. Then there are the ambient soundscapes and the calm, subdued guitar plucking that we know and love so well in the world of ambient.
The album kicks off with a smooth and relaxed intro before 'Angst' drags the listener down into a darker, often eerie corner of the post-whatever industry. From there, the band guides you on sonic waves of monolithic riffs and droning basses. They top it of with often screechy electronics which remind me of the whole industrial scene. Bands I'm reminded of include Wang Wen, Tiny Fingers, Russian Circles...
'Carried' is my absolute favorite track on this album, or maybe the short and gentle 'Lull'. It's hard to chose since the conceptual feel of the full-length is very present, making it almost a necessity to listen to the whole thing entirely. Perhaps even a few times in a row. To be extremely honest, all that praise might not have appeared in the very beginning of the album, but gradually it evolves, grows and becomes a solid piece of work, worthy of your attention.
So go ahead, indulge yourself in the massively immersive soundscapes of Memoirs Of A Secret Empire. Let the steamroller that 'Whorl' really is roll over you and join me in hope these guys will conquer Europe soon. This is a very strong debut, one that makes me very curious about how this band will evolve in the future.
Serge