Beneath A Steel Sky – Cleave
Beneath A Steel Sky – Cleave
Ripcord Records
24/01/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
‘For fans of Isis, Aereogramme, Cult of Luna, Cave In, Russian Circles, and Mogwai’. This got my attention for sure, given the Post-Rock/Metal nerd I’ve become as of late. There’s just something about bands exploring the experimental fringes of music that gets me going. Given that this is the very first album for Scottish Post-Rockers Beneath A Steel Sky, I was looking forward to seeing how they will put their own stamp on this widely varied genre, as “Cleave” promises to be a profound musical exploration of this and more.
Now, some of the calmer more ambient elements on this album really are a joy to listen to. Hypnotic, relaxing, minimalistic yet deceptively complex, it makes for some fantastic music to just chill out and relax to. They delivered on their promise of atmospheric elements for sure, achieved by the clever implementation of backing tracks and soundscapes, as well as the well crafted ambient guitar tones. This is also achieved by the use of calmer, more soothing clean vocals throughout. Though the vocals are rarely used in comparison to the music which is left to do the talking here. Two of the band’s key influences, Russian Circles and Cult Of Luna, will happily take you down the path of calm and tranquillity before throwing you the dirt with a sharp change in musical tactic and employing a much heavier crushing assault on the senses. I can see Beneath A Steel Sky try to employ this tactic. It works, kind of. Unfortunately, I don’t think the production really allows you to feel the intensity and sharpness the instruments both need and deserve. It’s a shame as the tension in these ambient sections was building nicely to crescendos distributed nicely through the album. What I wanted was the heavier sections to come and smash my front door in with a truncheon. But it felt as though it was more of a polite knocking on said door. It just wasn’t heavy enough. The same can sadly be said about the heavier vocals, which seemed to just lack the venom that Joannes Persson does in his vocals.
Is it fair for me to compare an up and coming band to two of the flag bearers and gold standard? Maybe not. After all, this is their debut album! Much like a casserole or soup, you can select all the finest ingredients and throw them into the pot but you’ve gotta give it time for the flavours to develop. That’s possibly the best analogy for Beneath A Steel Sky. It feels like there’s a lot of fine ingredients here and the band are still very much ‘in progress’. I’m sure the band will continue to discuss what works best for them, what doesn’t, and carry on with their musical journey. A journey I certainly would like to keep an eye on.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Sky Above The Port Was The Colour Of Television, Tuned To A Dead Channel
02. Vanguard
03. Everyone You’ve Ever Known
04. Quetzalcoatlus
05. The Infinite Silence That Follows The Absolute Truth
06. Cyclical Dunt
07. The Becoming
LINKS:
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