365 Days of Metal: Eastbound and Down

Day 81

East of the Wall - The Apologist

Band Origin: Keyport, New Jersey, USA

Genre: Post-metal / Progressive

Label: Translation Loss

Running Time: 44 minute

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Best Part: The whole record provides another example of why Post-metal is quickly vying for my favorite subgenre.

Favorite Tracks: Whiskey Sipper, False Build, Precious Memories, Underachiever, and The Apologist

Grade: 4.5

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The Apologist in way more than 20 words or less:

East of the Wall returns with their second full-length record in two years and eliminates all of the negatives from the first, while holding on to all of the positive aspects and merging them with the best parts of their earliest work.

The Band:

East of the Wall is a five member post-metal/rock and progressive band from New Jersey who have a longstanding history of coming together to make amazing instrumental work and then running off in different directions as each member goes to work on their own projects - only to return and put their collective new ideas together once more. A band that treads the line between post-metal and progressive rock, East of the Wall combines the swelling rush of heavy dissonant guitars with melodic instrumental movements to create tracks that are equally aggressive and evocative. An effect carried moreover by the layered vocal work from four of the band's members adding specific levels of emotion appropriate to each movement. 

East of the Wall's previous releases include: East of the Wall [EP] (2006), Farmer's Almanac (2008), and Ressentiment (2010) 

Jay's Take on The Apologist: 

I first discovered East of the Wall this past year when I came across their previous release Ressentiment which was referred to me out of relative obscurity - something that has helped me discover some really talented artists to date. Ressentiment was a good introduction to a group of musicians who are clearly comfortable and able with their respective instruments, creating setlist of tracks that traverse a number of styles and sounds. While the proficiency of the group was not in question, the overall structure of the album was a bit wonky. Ressentiment is the first record by the group to incorporate vocals, having been an instrumental band in their early stages. On first listen the album is not particularly easy to get into because of the sometimes abrupt shifts in tempo and style, but on the whole is still a satisfying listen, if anything post is your bag. That's why I was interested in seeing what the results of a little refocusing would bring with their most recent release The Apologist. After having gone through most of their catalog just prior to its release I was able to get a decent feel for where The Apologist fit in the scheme of things. The Apologist is most definitely a leg up over their previous record in terms of songwriting, and there is a much clearer focus on the bands instrumental movements and progressions which were at times overshadowed by the vocal work on Ressentiment. On this record, the vocal work is much more forgiving, well timed and correctly placed, adding the right amount of aggressiveness, harshness, melancholy and subtlety where necessary - without overpowering any of the groups instrumental prowess. And there is a much greater measure of flow between the tracks this time around, with transition work between the harsher and more melodic sections laid out clearly - no sudden abrupt movements.

The Apologist is a record that admittedly slipped my mind when I constructed my Top 20 Metal Albums of 2011 list a few short weeks ago - but it's not the only record to do so, and this isn't the first time I create a list and find myself wanting to add a dozen caveats.  

Sample of the Day: 



- J