godspeed you! black emperor - allelujah! dont bend! ASCEnd!

Godspeed you! black emperor

Allelujah! Dont Bend! Asecend!

5 out of 5

I'll keep this one brief, to me Godspeed You! Black Emperor are the daddies of post-rock, they are absolute masters of building atmosphere and when they let rip it sounds like your very own personal apocalypse is blasting out of your headphones. Sinister strings, dread infused samples, evil sounding guitar tones - what more could you want from a symphonic instrumental rock act?

Ok, so even if you consider the two drone pieces included here as merely pleasant diversions the two meaty 20 minute plus compositions are all-conquering thundering behemoths of noise. I still can't decide which is my favourite of the two - 'Mladic' sports Middle Eastern riffs so ferocious in their execution they sound like they were written to snake charm Nessie while the last 8 and a half minutes of 'We Drift Like Worried Fire' might just be the band's best ever recorded moment, a truly astounding mix of military drums, eerily squealing guitar noises, soaring strings and ecstatic riffing.

It would have been a travesty if these songs had never been put down on tape and I'm so pleased the band got back into the studio after over ten years away to deliver the Godspeed goods. Go get.

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