Groundswells
GIZEH
London post-metallers get a fresh sense of seasonal despair
Having taken us through autumn’s fading light and the barren wastes of winter, Wren arrive at spring on their seasonally inspired series of releases. But those waiting for the drip-drip drop of April showers will sooner find themselves drowned beneath an ocean of oppressive sludge-tinged post-metal. By and large Groundswells maintains the course for Wren’s output thus far, rhythmic riffs grinding away implacably to tread the line between mesmeric and monotonous. That said, the record’s latter half possesses transcendent tendencies reminiscent of the criminally underrated Woburn House, most keenly felt in Subterranean Messiah: a collaborative effort with guest vocals from Fvnerals’ Tiffany Ström and Syd Scarlet and typically brilliant cello work from Jo Quail. The hauntingly sorrowful title track puts Wren’s doom inclinations front and centre, slipping loose the earthly bonds of sludge to take the band into entirely new realms.