Ireland's Parhelia are back with their second release of atmospheric and epic sounding "post-rock", this time in the form of Oceans Apart. Still pretty much an EP like their debut, Oceans Apart is 5 instrumental songs that bridge the gap between prog and post rock, as long interweaving and intoxicating passages between the guitars and bass float throughout the mix, like some sort of bastard child of ISIS, U2, Marillion, and Mastodon. You can easily get sucked into "Lights in the Distance", with its undulating guitar patterns and mesmerizing rhythms, and "Hindsight" has a poppier feel, and certainly is not as dark musically. Ringing chords and crunchy riffs collide with nimble bass grooves and crashing drums on the title track, while "Summer Fades" has a somewhat blues/jazz/funk feel to it, with some sizzling slide guitar and acrobatic bass work. The final tune, "Storm Warning", closely resembles the recent work of ISIS, complete with fractured shards of guitar noise and pounding rhythms, all housed within a dark and menacing tone.
Parhelia definitely have fallen into an intriguing niche, and although their music doesn't have much hope for widespread appeal, those into more adventurous music, like prog/post rock, fusion, and guitar oriented instrumental music, should definitely think about giving Oceans Apart a listen.
Track Listing
1) Lights in the Distance
2) Hindsight
3) Oceans Apart
4) Summer Fades
5) Storm Warning
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