The post metal realm has been abuzz over the past few years, pouring forth solid releases one after another. More interestingly, the overall metal scene has bore witness to wondrous amalgamations of various subgenres burst out of the post metal chasm. In the United States bands such as Snow Burial, Huntsmen, Lavinia, and SEA are amongst those leading the charge in reshaping particular metal landscapes. Across the pond in the United Kingdom, the scene bristles with intrigue. The weight of the musical history and the sonic stones laid before the masses is immense. Out of this bubbling cauldron of influences and merits, Telepathy have wielded their characteristic cinematic flair to sludge and unleashed Burn Embrace upon the world.
The sonic landscape Telepathy live in says much by saying little — they let the music speak for their concepts. Much of the material they have released, for those unfamiliar, is devoid of vocal elements, as they aim at eliciting a wide array of personal introspection with their palette of sonic expression. An idea, or titled concept, is placed before the listener and down the rabbit hole one goes with one’s own mental musings. Take for example the third track from Burn Embrace, ‘The Void In Aimless Flight’. What can be parceled out before listening to the track? The needle drops, or the play button is depressed, and the journey begins. It’s a beautiful world in limbo, and the limits of what imagery floats in and out of it upon Telepathy’s waves is up to the listener.
Eerily, Burn Embrace is an album befitting of our current global situation; there is a veritable bounty of confusion and concern. News outlets are being held under intense scrutiny, and almost all political matters have become a clustered mess to unravel. ‘Pariah’ is a gloriously crafted track that embodies the whole of humanity’s continuing struggles in this rat’s nest we’ve created. As previously stated, much of Telepathy’s output is sans-vocals; however, the last track, ‘Burn Embrace’, is the only one to use voice elements throughout. It pulls the listener out of whatever realm their mind created in conjunction with the prior tracks and firmly places one in a sonic realm that is both beautiful and haunting. The closing melody in the strings surrounds the listener with a sense of awe and wonder, but also a sense of cautious curiosity.
With Burn Embrace, Telepathy compels us to embrace ourselves, and the unknown, no matter how much it burns the skin and mind. The beauty is in the journey upon the stones that have been placed before us, and how our minds react to them.
Burn Embrace is available now via Svart Records and can be purchased here.
You can read our interview with Telepathy here.
Words by: Garrett A. Tanner
