God Is An Astronaut – Epitaph

Post Rock | Instrumental

70%

Sometimes the easiest albums to listen to are also the hardest. It’s particularly a problem with instrumental records; it’s so easy to just let it become background music, to let it play on repeat and become the soundtrack to your day, without taking the time to truly appreciate what’s going on. Before you fall into the same trap with the new record from these Irish instrumentalists, take a moment to really listen to the world they create here.  The lachrymose piano led intro of the title track gives way to a few subtle glitchy elements, reminding me a little of Porcupine Tree, before being drowned out by the all-consuming riffs. Beautiful in its own imposing way, the looming menace of Epitaph‘s climax feels like a storm cloud shrouding some Lovecraftian horror lurking within.

Though the title track offers the most lasting impression, there’s still a lot to enjoy here. The heaviness continues into ‘Mortal Coil’, and with the underlying piano it sounds like some classical symphony played during the end of days. ‘Oisín’, which was written in memory of a young cousin who passed away aged only seven, takes you on a devastating journey of grief and innocence lost, and offers a sense of peace and closure, in just a few short minutes. There are times though, particularly in the latter half of the record, that it too easily slips into background music by unnecessarily drawing out ideas and lacking sufficient variation between tracks. If you’re looking for some beautiful music to get lost in for a while this would be a fine choice, but be warned that delving in to the deeper nuances is something that you need to be in the right frame of mind for in order to get the full measure of the record.