
Beneath a Steel Sky’s debut, Cleave, goes far beyond being just another album title. Divided into two distinct sides, like an existential sandwich, this post rock/post metal debut seems carefully structured that way, often feeling like a drive in a moody hearse through mist shrouded Scottish moors, with a stowaway Cult of Luna fan lurking in the back.
Cleave‘s shimmering introduction doesn’t immediately signal the intensity to come, but gradually builds into a crescendo, complete with harsh vocals. This stark contrast between delicate beginnings and heavier climaxes sets a recurring theme, and whilst the opener didn’t prepare me for the layered and complex journey ahead, it did hint at the album’s focus: division and transformation. As Cleave unfolds, its post metal identity becomes more pronounced. The guitar work is impactful and evocative, but the interplay between ethereal melodies and grounded heaviness is somewhat bisected (deliberately, I suspect). The drums sit curiously in the mix as they sound rather distant yet integral, providing a backbone that holds the album’s dynamic shifts together.
By the midpoint, however, Cleave’s balancing act starts feeling precarious, not unlike a game of musical Jenga. Here, I start thinking it faces the classic recent post rock shtick: the juxtaposition we’ve heard so much of, where the band wants to hand out catharsis and steal one’s hope during the same track. But fret not — it’s not Beneath a Steel Sky, it’s me. As someone who has spent their formative years getting immersed in all sorts of post-y matters, I have grown tough to impress, even when a band manages to merge depressive fuzz with triumphant layers so beautifully. The crescendo moments are satisfying but the build ups often feel drawn out as I long for more of the metal and less of the rock. This overt separation between the two, while conceptually intriguing, ends up hampering the flow, making the transitions manifest more like interruptions instead of organic progressions.
Still, Beneath a Steel Sky offer moments where everything seems to click into place. Such is the case with “Cyclical Dunt”, a track that captures the essence of the album with clarity and confidence as all exploratory elements come together in a way that feels fully realized. I couldn’t resist looping this song like an endless rolling storm as it made me wonder why Beneath a Steel Sky could not sustain this vibe throughout. Cleave then closes with “The Becoming”, encapsulating its central themes with emotional resonance and expansiveness. It almost seems like the band spent the entire album building toward this moment, which leaves a sense of longing and potential, as if hinting at even greater heights they’ve yet to achieve. Perhaps this was the intention all along: to cleave through our own emotions and leave us in an angsty time loop, tempted to revisit the journey from the beginning. Though it occasionally feels uneven, ultimately Cleave is a strong debut. Its reflective, atmospheric qualities stand out as its greatest strengths. And as Beneath a Steel Sky grow, it is exciting to see how they will refine their sound and further develop the ideas introduced here.