AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: GLOSON — “THE RIFT”

 

All of the old-timers here at NCS have their own musical tastes, which are probably best portrayed as a Venn diagram in which there are areas of intersection but also swaths of area that largely stand apart from each other. But the Swedish band Gloson are one of those bands in which we all overlap in our enthusiasm for the music. And thus it’s a genuine thrill for us now to present a full stream of their new album, The Rift, which is set for release this coming Friday by Indie Recordings.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, our own Andy Synn presented a review of the album just yesterday. He called it “by some margin the best Post-/Sludge Metal album I’ve heard so far this year — surpassing even Cult of Luna‘s fantastic new record”, an album that “has most certainly re-set the bar for 2022, and only time will tell if anything else can match it”.

He then proceeded to explain why, should you need any further persuasion to dive into the full stream today.

Although we’ve been singing the band’s praises since their first EP, Andy wrote:

It’s still slightly astonishing to hear just how mightily the band have surpassed themselves here, whether that’s in the form of the choking gloom and churning, doom-laden riffs of “Windbearer”, the implacable momentum and claustrophobic aurora of “Impetus”, or the ominous, oppressive ambience and gargantuan gravitational pull of “Cerberus IV” (arguably the best song on the entire album, though we all know by now that concepts like “best” are firmly in the eye, or ear, of the beholder).

That being said, it actual took a couple of spins for me to fully grasp what it is that makes The Rift such a major step-up for the band, as while it’s initial impact is undeniable – humongous opener “Stygian and Aberrant” drops riffs like calving icebergs, while “Tirsa Vassals” actively seems to get heavier and more intense the longer it goes on – this is most definitely an album which doesn’t necessarily reveal all its secrets and inner workings straight away, but instead demands – and rewards – multiple listens in order to unlock everything it has to offer.

Nowhere is this more apparent than during the album’s thirteen-and-a-half minute finale, “Ultraviolet”, a moody, melodic slow-burner which on its own would perhaps give a very different impression of the band (and the album) but which, taken in context, serves as an unexpectedly perfect coda for for an album which needs, and deserves, to be heard in its entirety in order to be properly appreciated.

 

But you don’t have to take Andy‘s word for any of this. You can take our collective word, because as mentioned at the outset all of us here have been overwhelmed by the intensity and the expansive depths of The Rift.

Or you can take the word of other sites and periodicals that have showered it with praise.

Or you can just listen for yourselves. (The starting point of each track is listed below the stream, but it really is best not to jump around but instead to set aside the time to listen straight through):

 

 

00:00 Stygian and Aberrant
09:01 Windbearer
18:21 Impetus
25:21 Tirsa Vassals
32:10 Cerberus IV (Exodus)
44:08 Ultraviolet

The Rift was recorded and mixed by Ulf Blomberg at Hoborec Recording Studio, and it was mastered by Magnus Lindberg Productions. The cover art was created by Sophy Fredriksson.

PRE-ORDER:
https://gloson.lnk.to/therift2022

GLOSON:
https://www.gloson-official.com
https://www.facebook.com/glosonofficial