Grayceon - Pearl and the End of Days

Flenser Records
2013

There are just two tracks on Grayceon's new album. And yet it's 30 minutes in length. Can you call it an album though with only two tracks? I guess that's open to debate. At the link below you can hear "Pearl" which is all I have heard so far from the band's new "album". "Pearl" and "The End of Days". It's thirty minutes in length with just those two tracks. The music? Well, this 3-piece "metal' band are a bit left-of-center to begin with. While they feature a guitarist and a drummer (Max Doyle and Zack Farwell respectively) the third member of the band (Jackie Perez Gratz) plays the electric cello. That's a bit different you could say. The new material is said to be far more in tune with Grayceon's "rockier roots". Since this is my first taste of Grayceon I can only go by what I hear on "Pearl". That's more then enough material I would need to make a judgement call on this 3-piece. It's enough for me to say that I truly appreciate the fact that the music is different, but in an overwhelmingly positive way. "Pearl" is epic metal in a way that's hard to put into words. The cello adds a whole different dimension to the music and gives it this air of grave even if the music might have been born out of post-rock and/or sludge metal. It's crusty along the edges in a way that's more post-punk and less overt punk. And yet there is no way you could deny the touching beauty that lies just under the surface. No doubt a huge part of that beauty has to do with Jackie Perez Gratz and the fact that her contributions to the album were written while she was pregnant with her daughter. While all three members of the band went into a sort of hibernation during the time-frame in which this album was constructed (2 years to be exact!) it is that maternal energy that so easily carried over into "Pearl". From the way things sound this will be a vinyl-only release with a limited number of lime green prints available for those of us into that sort of thing. If nothing else be sure to check out "Pearl" for yourself as it really does have a striking beauty all it's own!














http://alarm-magazine.com/2013/mp3-premiere-grayceons-pearl-a-string-sludge-epic/