RED APOLLO from Dortmund, Germany, shouldn’t be totally unknown to the people of CVLT. Their previous effort Quiet As Death could turn a lot of heads onto them and now this five-piece is back with its first proper full length record, available soon via Alerta Antifascista and Good Die Young Records. And as one could expect from hearing the EP, the album Marche Funébre is a grasping, deep and really dark Post Metal record that delivers what the black crowds demand.
Obviously, this style of music enjoys lots of popularity these days, with bands like Neurosis, Isis or Amen Ra being household names among connoisseurs of differing (sub-)genres. And with this come countless of copycats of course, exploring every little unheard note and unseen possibilty withing the genre’s boundaries. The result is that it’s extremely hard for new bands to do something refreshing and new. Therefore the real difficulty a band like RED APOLLO has to face is in my opinion to avoid the pitfalls of mediocrity and to be relevant and exciting in a genre full of uninspired riffs and put-on anger performed by hordes of bores. The good thing is: RED APOLLO is totally capable of doing so – and that’s even more stunning when you consider the fact that this band is existing just for about one year now.
Full stream of the album and further words down below!
Listening to this record evokes pictures of a devasting thunderstorm in the mountains before my inner eye. If you’ve ever witnessed such an outburst of natural powers you know how rain and hail are crushing down on rock and leaf like waves, controlled by nothing but unforgiving winds. In between single blows there are quieter moments as well, when you hear nothing but the raindrops splashing on the ground. But those instants are only short-lived – only the next thunderclap will proof once again the pathetic reality of man.
Just like this Marche Funébre plays off its strengths: The band has the loud/quiet-game down cold and shines at their really varied guitarwork – huge riffs, attended by frantic melodies drenched in reverb. The gripping drumming keeps the perfect balance between diversity and drive – just as it has to be in this kind of music. The vocals could be a bit more eclectic, but that’s really nothing to spoil the funeral.
Like stated above: Marche Funébre has everything fans of this kind of music shall dig, is definetely way above average and makes RED APOLLO even more a band to keep a lookout for.
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