Long Distance Calling
Boundless

LA RECENSIONE

After almost forty years of listening to music without any limitation, I still find myself, albeit rarely, completely captivated by a band.

As happened at the end of last year with the German band Long Distance Calling, originally from Munster and active since 2006 with six long-length works already published.

Known and not even too appreciated with their self-titled album of 2011 and for a few years consigned to oblivion.

Then, precisely in the last months of last year, almost by chance, I stumbled upon "Out There," a very long track, nearly ten minutes in duration, taken from the Boundless album released in February 2018; and it was the so-called bolt from the blue. Starting with the wonderful and spectacular images of the video that seem to want to dedicate themselves to me: a journey, a true ascension, a climb to the top of a mountain. And for me, who have always lived in an alpine environment and love few things like walking among mountains and trails, it was an enormous emotion to savor all this. I'll tell you more: from that first encounter with the track every time I reach the summit on my hikes, the first thing I do is retrieve the video on my phone and listen to it, not too loudly, allowing myself to be captivated by the overwhelming majesty of the surroundings.

Let one thing be clear: Long Distance Calling invent nothing but manage to be "captivating" with their instrumental Post-Rock that draws heavily from sacred monsters like Mogwai, Isis, Pelican.

Their songs, in most cases, "climb," with a crescendo that leaves you speechless.

Heavy Metal legacies, particularly in those moments where they "push" upwards, towards infinity.

Vastly expansive Prog-Psychedelic progressions.

Then suddenly, they let go, creating space for quiet moments where a plucked and crystalline-sounding guitar (which to me recalls The Edge's in U2's album The Unforgettable Fire!!!) weaves enveloping, sublime, evocative tapestries.

Their sound is not easy to assimilate, especially due to the relatively long track durations, which is a constant throughout the band's career, and the total absence, at least in this work, of a vocalist.

They have backed me into a corner and forced me to recover everything they have composed so far...ASCENDING...

Ad Maiora.