HIROE – Wrought
Release Date: 8th July 2022
Label: Pelagic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Post-Rock
FFO: Caspian, Russian Circles, Thrice.
Review By: Rory Bentley
I’ll begin this review with a confession: I find instrumental Post-Rock incredibly difficult to review. Without the yardstick of conventional song-structures or the momentum of vocals to frame each composition, a lot of it kind of passes me by. I enjoy it while it’s on, occasionally I get a bit bored, a crescendo hits, and I think ‘wow that was good’ to myself and then an hour later I immediately forget the album exists. You have to do a really fantastic job to register with my normally microscopic attention span, and thankfully Philadelphia five-piece Hiroe are well up to that task.
Wrought is a bite-size 27 minutes of Post-Rock that’s not afraid to hit the distortion pedal when required, drawing influences from post-hardcore and metal as well as genre greats like Caspian and of course the soothing chimes of Explosions in the Sky. Over the course of this tightly wound yet expansive EP, the band are able to imbue monolithic soundscapes like The Approach with memorable hooks and melody lines that leave a lasting impression. The song in question builds layers of octave chords and crashing metallic guitars into an overwhelming moment of euphoria from the understated embers of Irusu which kicks off the EP.
Everything is Fine begins with lush acoustic guitars, leading into a sparse but engaging passage that feels like it could be taken straight from the last Baroness album. Yet instead of putting it into the straightjacket of a Rock Song, it is allowed to breathe and explode into a barrage of orchestral guitar work that is simultaneously unsettling and uplifting. The band have stated they have drawn influence from the tumultuous times of lockdown, and this anxiety is present in every note here.
Black Mountain’s duelling arpeggios offer yet another example of taking a Rock approach to instrumental music, lending a sense of urgency that demands your attention throughout the runtime rather than being reduced to background ambience. This momentum continues as crashing distorted riffs add further punch to proceedings, and the band’s stated Deftones and Thrice influences become explicitly apparent. It’s so hard for instrumental bands to be distinctive, but stylistic tropes like this really go along way when added to the mix.
As titanic rocker Doom Moon closed things up and provided the heaviest moment of the EP, I found myself annoyed that it was over! The only negative I can really give this is that it’s not an album! The production is razor sharp and impactful, the guitar tones are meaty, and each composition feels the perfect length. Give me a full length release, and I’ll be happy as a clam!
(4 / 5)
