Astronoid – Radiant Bloom
Astronoid – Radiant Bloom
Century Media Records
Release Date: 03/06/2022
Running Time: 46:00
Review by Rory Bentley
9/10
Astronoid’s 2016 debut “Air” had many fans and critics foaming at the mouth when it dropped. Despite no big PR fanfare behind them or industry hype, the band’s lush fusion of euphoric Shoegaze and Thrash Metal was a truly original take, and one that saw an organic groundswell of support from fans and critics that just happened to stumble across the album and felt compelled to shout from the rooftops that Metal had done something original and exciting for the first time in ages. I thought it was a great debut as well and, were it not for the fact that 2016 was one of the greatest years in the history of music, it would have strolled into my top 20 albums of the year with minimal fuss.
I was far less enamoured with 2019’s self-titled follow up, which leant much more towards the Metal guitars, and as a result felt lacking in atmosphere for yours truly; if I just wanted big riffs then Testament have got me covered thanks lads! This kind of led me to forget about the band until those lovely peeps at Century Media hit our inbox with “Radiant Bloom”.
Things start off with a very welcome return of the Post-Rock elements being front and centre in shimmering opener “Admin”, which felt like being bathed in sunlight at the start of a beautiful day. The major key bursts of melody combined with driving Metal rhythmic attacks are the exact sweet spot for Astronoid and it’s incredibly satisfying as a listener to hear them nail this balance from the first minute.
When the second track and lead single, ‘Eyes’ kicked in with a booming snare hit, I nearly got up and applauded. I didn’t because I had a cat on me and my wife was in the room and she thinks I’m weird enough as it is, but nonetheless I absolutely adored this song. The guitars are robust, the drums are pounding and Brett Boland’s breezy, angelic vocals are bang on the money. The guitar solo is fucking incredible as well as it builds to a triumphant crescendo over shimmering, lush walls of reverb. This may well be Astronoid’s best song.
That being said it has some stiff competition from the pummelling, yet gorgeously delicate ‘Sedative’ where pulverising riffs drift into major key flights to the heavens. I got big Alcest vibes on this one with some Blackgaze blast beats in particular dialling up the Metal end of the deal. Once again the soloing is magnificent when put against the backdrop of Explosions in the Sky-esque compositions. It’s like teleporting Gary Holt to a meditation retreat, it shouldn’t work but man does it work!
Production-wise this is a wonderful job from all involved, to balance the twin disciplines of the band is no mean feat when recording and mixing. As I mentioned before there were far too many Metal tones and nowhere near enough Post-Rock on the previous album, as if there was a reverb shortage and we all had to ration it because Deafheaven stole it all. Conversely I found the first record, though magnificent, to have a little too many pedals in play to let the Metal parts cut through with the precision they deserve. This really feels like the ultimate realisation of the band’s vision. While “Air” will always be the truly groundbreaking record, “Radiant Bloom” is the album where Astronoid absolutely nailed what they were always aiming for.
At 46 minutes the album manages to be expansive and immersive while being incredibly catchy and punchy, with anthems like ‘Drown’ and ‘Human’ feeling satisfyingly epic without dragging out the runtime. By the time the bass intro of closer ‘Decades’ leads the final charge, its 7 minutes feel well-earned. It is played with purpose and grace and takes its time without detracting from the sense of joyful momentum the previous tracks have carried. It is a truly heartwarming climax to a strident return from a unique band that refuses to make a binary choice on which of their primary inspirations they want to pursue.
If there’s any justice in the world Astronoid will be propelled to new heights by the quality of this release. They’ve done everything right here and despite other bands taking their blueprint and gaining success, they should be viewed as one of the cornerstones of the Shoegaze and Metal fusion that has bloomed over the last decade. Enough waffling from me, check this out right now and lose yourself in this stunning return to form.
‘Eyes’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Admin
02. Eyes
03. Sleep Whisper
04. Sedative
05. I’ve Forgotten Your Face
06. Orchid
07. Drown
08. Human
09. Decades
LINE-UP:
Brett Boland – Vocals, Guitars, Percussion
Daniel Schwartz – Bass, Synthesizers
Casey Aylward – Guitars, Solos
Matt St. Jean – Drums
LINKS:
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