I’m going to do this one backwards. Stop what you’re doing right now and go purchase The Shiver, the new EP by Seattle’s very own Metameric. Never have I been so captured and engrossed by such a new band’s release. Composed of elements of progressive rock, fueled by a sense of urgency, and tinged with a tone that casts a gritty, shadowy atmosphere over each song; I can’t get enough! I have not been this pleasantly caught off-guard since The Mars Volta released their debut album. You would do well to stumble upon them, if you haven’t already fallen for their musical charm.
For those who would like to know a little more about this short musical venture, read on. For a band that formed in 2011 and has released only one other EP at the very start of their career, The Shiver is an astounding effort. Composed of just five songs, there is so much attention to detail in the arrangement of each as to boggle the mind. Sonically, this four-piece (Kris Darr – bass/vocals; Alex Smolin – guitar/vocals; Robert Reis – guitar; Michael Cotta – drums) is not only cohesive, but supportive of each other. They create haunting atmospheres through layered arpeggios and reverberating chordal swells, coupled with deeply flowing bass lines which twist around notes and over percussion that is wonderfully timed and expertly executed. After being led through moving passages like these, we’re then slammed with crunchy riffs that cradle the vocals in a warm embrace, continually pushing them forward into more and more progressive goodness.
Some releases take me a while to really absorb and appreciate them. Others, like this one, take me a while because I want them to take a while. There is so much that I love about this EP, but I’ll spare you the finer details. Suffice to say, when songs you’ve written hearken back to the oft-forgotten ’90s prog rock band Damn The Machine (“A Great Injustice”), and another could easily slip onto Alice In Chains’ Jar Of Flies EP unnoticed (“Eye Of Providence”), you’re doing something right. These four men have proven not only that they are capable musicians, but that they know what they want musically and have the focus capture those ideas. The Shiver is a beacon for Metameric; it stands brilliantly on the rocky shore of musical opportunity, shining its light onto the vast possibilities that lay before them.
For more on Metameric, visit:
Buy The Shiver at: iTunes | Amazon | CDBaby
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