Outside of grindcore, everything hardcore infused tends to be new and hard to describe for this old Gator. But when sampling new releases occasionally something sticks in my ears and refuses to leave. Such is the case with Enduring Revery‘s debut album, Carrier. This album caught me off guard with an odd mix of post hardcore, grunge, sludge and acoustic work that scratched the itch of an elusive memory. After listening a few times, moments like the contemplative electric guitar noodling in “Steep Ravine” and the overall bass friendly sound made it clear that what Heath Gibson has accomplished all by himself on this release reminds me a lot of the Swedish post hardcore/progressive metal band Burst. Just like the Swedes, Gibson has a very contemplative way of writing his progressions and they can therefore be a bit hard to predict. This is a strength that makes the music stand out. Another worthwhile thing here is a production that lifts up the tasteful bass playing and acoustic guitar, yet still leaves room for the sharper sludge riff to sink their teeth in. At its best, Carrier makes full use of these tools to create compelling progressions and cathartic moments with heft. Highlights include an acoustic guitar riff and sludge riff battling for space on “Steep Ravine”, trilling acoustic riffs and vocal moments that could have come off Metallica‘s Metallica in “Fear vs. Victory” and the first-chill-village-that-later-gets-horribly-destroyed-in-a-JRPG mood developing into a sludge section in “Lucky 13”.
Unfortunately, as impressed as I am with Carrier‘s overall sound, there are some substantial flaws as well. The music can get too contemplative for its own good and often seems to have a hard time finding its direction (see “Contribution” and “Pale Flowers”). The acoustic sound is very atmospheric but the metal is often much more of a sudden ingredient than a part of the whole. This is apparent when “Running From the Guilt” feels like a burst of energy in the middle of the album, but only because of the rest of the songs err on the acoustic side and are too long for their own good. When this kind of material extends past the impact of its mood the end result is that the album leaves an overall sleepy impression. I am sufficiently impressed with the work Heath Gibson has done here and reading his comment about the album on Instagram, it seems it was both a long hard road to making it happen as well as a great experience. Now do it again and improve! You have something good going here.
