Niō is the collaboration between Davide Tiso (Ephel Duath, Gospel of the Witches) and Jef Pauly (New Diplomat, Vela Eyes), started in May 2015 in San Francisco (USA). The focus for this project seemed to be the ritualistic aspect I mentioned earlier. In five songs, they have come up with a repetitive, hypnotizing and immersive blend of post-rock, post-metal and raw rock. Yet, it's not merely a post-rock album.
This duo doesn't create the elaborate sonic landscapes that some of the most popular post-rock acts have. Instead, these five songs are raw power and energy. It seems to take the genre back into a more primitive form, heavy, complex and somewhat harsh. In that aspect, I guess it's safe to add tags like doom metal (riffs) and noise rock (atmosphere) to what I'm hearing right now. So check it out if you're in for something different. Like I was, you might be pleasantly surprised with this ep.
Serge