Foreword: If good old ZiOn, knowing his musical tastes, rushed to buy this record after reading my review, he would at least come looking for me at night to kiss my feet. But I'm willing to bet my hand on it.
I love post-core. To madness, really.
I love post-core because it's one of those few genres that can make my mind travel in a splendid way, comprised more of atmospheres than simple riffs, of dreamlike journeys rather than melodies. Or at least this is true for the best bands. In fact, this is one of the most difficult genres to play, and I'm not talking about technical difficulties, but rather songwriting challenges: you have to be born for it, you need to have class, have a superior perception of music to do post-core the right way. You have to take noise, reshape it, give it form, amplify the distortions to create dreamlike worlds, and maybe merge them with the purest melancholy.
Well, this is exactly what Callisto do. Because this band with the improbable name is just debuting, and they've already created an album destined to enter the hearts of all post-core lovers, indeed, of all those who dare to listen to it, in my opinion. Because the songs contained here are heart-stopping, period.
The dreamlike atmosphere of "Blackhole" cannot be easily forgotten, as well as the riffs erected by the group, true walls of sonic darkness that envelop everything and leave no room to breathe. Distortions of the best Pelican join the musical flows of the latest Isis, all with a sense of melody that's dramatic and oppressive (as in "Cold Stare") yet at the same time dreamlike and nostalgic (the wonderful riffs of "Caverns of Khafka", or the beautiful "Worlds Collide"). Parallel worlds intersect, psychedelic stasis, pure melancholy, supported by a guitar fabric made of atmospheres rather than simple riffs, and Markus Myllykangas's growl voice that seems to scream vengeance at the whole world. Not to mention when the band holds the tension and lets it grow, injecting songs with feeling, as well as anger and devastation. The unease of living, the inner remorse that rises in an emotional crescendo, culminating in the hope that springs from nowhere: songs like sound currents that drag the listener, notes just waiting for a pair of ears to turn into emotions. This is the world of Callisto, this is the world I want to lose myself in.
An immense band, from whom I expect great things in the future. In the meantime, "True Nature Unfolds", in case it wasn't clear, is a masterpiece, one of those that emerge when you least expect it?
A must-have, even if it means selling your grandmother.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Blackhole (05:01)
Travelling at the speed of light into the void.
Destination unknown.
Lost in orbit in the midst of heathendom.
Watched the sun darken - the stars fall from heaven.
Picking up signals - signals of the last coming.
03 Limb: Diasporas (05:48)
Separation from the body of Christ.
Town divided in numerous districts.
The globe all covered be wanderers. They roam with no direction.
The holy land, the promised land - your time will come and they will be returned.
"Attach us to your graceful limbs, the pierced palms.
Should our ways diverge, we will be doomed to our deadly fate."
04 Cold Stare (06:32)
"Connection after a long period of silence, your cold eyes spoke to me without words.
Agony was present. I understood it all along."
I heard a silent whisper from the past - eight years of isolation.
In silence the demons besieged you.
Darkened eyes of retribution.
Stormriding through the bleakest on a black horse.
Zest for life has died in me.
"My life, the monolith of loneliness.
Fallen am I Lord. Make me complete again."
08 Worlds Collide (05:16)
Mankind fears what eyes fail to conceive.
Unseen presence, within these walls.
The cynic will not acquire but the obedient marches on,
Knowing resistance has begun.
The inevitable is at hand. Worlds collide.
Embrace the aftermath whatever it may bring.
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