IRIST – Gloria (EP)
Release Date: 16th September 2022
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
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Genre: Progressive, Post-Metal.
FFO: Conjurer, Dvne, LLNN.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
On Friday, September 16, Atlanta, Georgia Progressive/Post-Metal quartet, IRIST, release the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed 2020 album, Order of the Mind. Their new EP, Gloria, translates to “Glory” in Spanish and Portuguese, the native tongues of 3/4 of IRIST. Gloria features Rodrigo Carvalho on vocals, Pablo Davila and Adam Mitchell on guitars, and Bruno Segovia on bass. Drums on all tracks by Jason Belisha. The EP is self-produced and was mixed by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis, Minus The Bear), who certainly did the five tracks on this EP justice. Order of the Mind is undoubtedly a hard act to follow, but IRIST is clearly up to the challenge.
The title track, Gloria, opens with a faint hum as of machinery running in the background. The rumble builds, adding fevered, unintelligible guitar noises until the track explodes into action. The initial spasmodic rhythm gives way to a lively chugging, with frenetic leads gliding over the top. The arrangement is beautifully balanced, with dampened clean vocals heralding growled repeats and delicate guitar sections foreshadowing the furious power of the instruments reclaiming their rightful space. There’s palpable energy and strength in this piece, and these musicians have dominion over all of it.
The first single, Heal, is a slow, steady groove, a behemoth, if you will, but it certainly does not lack melody. The gigantic riffs roll over everything in their path while that wailing banshee of a guitar mourns in sympathy. You can take a few seconds to catch your breath about a third of the way in, that ambient noise slowly building and then dying, before they plow right through to that savage chorus again. They hit the bridge and shift into overdrive, with the frantic wah wringing its metaphorical hands as the punishing rhythm drives everything toward the precipice… And then that drop…back down into the slow, tortuous groove, with the guitar howling through the outro, is everything. After listening to the entire EP, Heal is still my favorite track.
The third track, aptly named III, consists of 49 seconds of atmospheric sounds. It begins with some type of wooden pipe wind chimes banging together in an increasingly strong gale. The pipes begin to echo and become more metallic before you feel as if you’ve been plunged underwater. You can still hear the muffled wind and the pipes thrashing above, but the sound is absorbed by the water until it fades to a rather foreboding silence, even more alarming than the tempestuous sounds.
The second single, Surging Ablaze, is a study in contradictions. The guitar melodies on the verse are atmospheric but still weighty, then you’re graced by a few moments of ethereal beauty before the hook grabs you by the throat. There’s some gorgeous lead work on the chorus, and the rhythm lays a solid foundation throughout. Just when you think you’ve reached the crescendo, you realize this monstrous riff is only a jumping off point for a sound that just keeps growing more powerful and more profound. The intricacy of the arrangement and the overall character of the guitar work put me in mind of late 2000s/early 2010s Mastodon, which is no small thing.
The final track, Watchful Eye, is intense and unsettling, but it pulls you in right from the start and refuses to let go. It opens with a droning rhythm and menacing, buzzing guitars before detonating into a barrage of ferocious sound.
Intriguing rhythmic gymnastics underlie Carvalho’s impassioned growls and the blade slap of those helicopter rotor guitars. The outro is filled with ominous ambient noises of some futuristic urban dystopia. Definite Metropolis vibes and the perfect moody ending to this glorious (pun intended) EP.
Overall, Gloria seems to have taken up the torch passed on by Order of the Mind. There’s this sense of leashed power that’s so compelling, and when it’s unleashed…you can just feel the shockwaves. There’s something so interesting about their arrangements, they know when to go full-throttle, and they know when to pump the brakes to shed some of that speed. I still hear an echo of their influences in this album- the intensity of Soulfly, the technicality of Mastodon, and maybe a bit of Gojira in that chaotic melody, but IRIST still sound like themselves, which is quite an accomplishment. If you enjoyed Order of the Mind, or you’re just in the mood for some brutal, proggy rhythm and melody, Gloria will not leave you wanting.
(4 / 5)
