Two years ago, Telepathy toured Europe together with Post-Metal powerhouses Rosetta and The Ocean. And know what? They proved themselves andnheld their ground, being as impressive as those two giants, sometimes even outplaying them. And now they are a good reason to ignore the pandemic.
What’s that you say? Don’t go outside panic buying! No toilet roll! Human sacrifice, cats and dogs, living together, mass hysteria. All you need to do is look around to realise these are no ordinary times we are living in at present. So, if you need some musical accompaniment in what seems like the end of days then I have the perfect album for you. The new album from Colchester Post-Metallers Telepathy.
The band initially made waves in the British metal scene with their debut album 12 areas. A heady mix of stylized post metal with sections of aural freak outs which injected something new into the post-metal scene. This trend continued with their next album Tempest which catapulted them onto many people’s consciousness with a refined sound. So, what can we expect with the new album? Let’s find out.
The key to a good instrumental album is articulating what you are trying to get across without the use of lyrics. Some bands do this better than others, and it’s here where Telepathy have excelled. The sense of anguish is palpable throughout this album and there are times when it builds to almost unbearable levels, but the band seem to be aware of this and just when it gets to all-encompassing heights, they turn on the release valve to give you a breather. The first half of this album will be familiar to anyone who has heard their previous album Tempest as it follows quite similar sonic patterns. The sense of familiarity however is tempered by a newfound sense of purpose, everything honed to a precise edge. Not a single note is out of place and the cohesive nature of the album shines through.
If the first half of the album is great, the second half is simply stunning. It’s here where the band seem to take flight and truly explore their range and seek out new sonic palettes to try and get their point across. The main riff leading into the euphoric ending on “Aonaran” is incredible, and the sense of release I mentioned earlier should be experienced by everyone, even if they have only a passing interest in post metal music. The use of vocals in next song “Sorrow Surrenders it’s Crown” are a most welcome addition, with some gorgeous delicate guitar parts backing them up. This song transitions beautifully into the bewitching title track which has guest cello by none other than Jo Quail. If Telepathy’s previous album Tempest was good (and it was more than that) then Burn Embrace takes their music to a whole other level. If they can continue this upwards trajectory, the sky is the limit for this band and if they carry on with their exploration which is found in the second half of this album, they truly are capable of making extraordinary music. This is highly recommended and will probably be high up on my personal albums of the year list.
