Colmaar – Eternel
Colmaar – Eternel
No Sun Records
19/09/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8.5/10
Just when you think you’ve heard everything from the post-metal genre, a new contender emerges. Enter Colmaar. Calling Switzerland their home, they have plenty of inspiration from the likes of Zeal & Ardour, and Schammasch. How will Colmaar compare to this crop on their latest compilation “Eternel”?
What immediately stands out is the melodic and aesthetic flavour of Post-Rock being presented. The bass and drums combine to provide a steady yet firm foundation. This gives license for the guitars to roam free and explore all manner of melodic passages. Whether it’s the soothing hypnotic arpeggio passages, or the soul-piercing glass like tones in ‘Implacable’, these juxtaposing nicely to the vocals, vocals I find most intriguing. I know maybe 20-30 words of French so although I can’t follow the narrative or the story that is being presented, that doesn’t make these vocals any less aesthetic or interesting to listen to. There’s a primitive edge were the lyrics are half spoken, half yelled in raw emotional agony! Much in the same way that bands like Envy, or Amenra would.
Amenra seems like the lazy comparison for Colmaar’s sound, but is very much appropriate, especially for those who are drawn to the more melodic aspects of the Belgian heavyweight’s compositions. Though Colmaar may not have the same skull crushing density behind some of their riffs, they’re still heavy enough to ensure that you should handle with extreme caution (see ‘Hypnotique’ for evidence of this).
Post-Rock bands are often criticised for their songs simply being far too long. Sometimes it’s necessary to have the slower and lengthy ambient passages to build tension towards the huge and rewarding crescendos though. It seems as though Colmaar have found the ideal balance between wowing you with these huge atmospheric climaxes (‘Prologue’ having THE most intense of climaxes) without making you feel bored or making the wait feel like a poor return on investment. Stick with Colmaar and you’ll definitely be rewarded in a very short amount of time. If not, then you just may be soulless!
Production-wise, the optimal balance between gritty and sharply polished is achieved to offer that necessary raw atmospheric quality without making it seem like a poor quality bedroom demo.
So, it seems like there’s a new contender in the world of Post-Rock. One that’s not quite ready to stake a claim to the throne of the genre’s royalty just yet, but one that’s patiently preparing its tools and sword for its time. The time which may come sooner rather than later.
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