Album Reviews : Myridian – We, The Forlon

Australia’s reputation of being home to some of the most creative bands continues as Melbourne’s Melo-doom outfit Myridian have returned this year with their second full-length album ‘We, The Forlorn’ and it is hands down, some of their best work yet. When I heard the first one, it instantly had this Swallow The Sun/ Insomnium feel to it and it’s no secret that melodeath is what I love the most, Myridian instantly caught my attention as does this album.

Title track, aptly named just as the release, begins with a melancholic piano intro , the guitars slowly kicking in and that feeling of the music making you drift into another world. The vocals forge through the melody with an aggressive passion and the tempo changes , as always keep things interesting. There is never a moment where you feel like you’re listening to the same thing over and over again – that element of unpredictibility is something I always love to hear when I’m listening to an album. ( Keep an ear out at 4.50 – it’s one of my favourite parts). ‘Silent Death’ and ‘These Weary Bones’ continue on a more mid-paced note with a lot of emotional guitars, and the dual vocals of screeches and growls sending chills down your spine.

‘A Lone Rose‘ is a track that deserves a separate paragraph because it’s one song I’ve had on repeat ever since I got the promo copy of the album. When I write this review I’m actually having a bit of a hard time trying to describe exactly what I feel . For starters the melody that leads this track throughout is mesmerizing to say the least with the sections of acoustic guitar, the drone of the vocals that heighten the presence of the doom-vibe and again the unexpected transitions from heavy parts to more softer, instrumental sections. Vikings need to contact these guys for a soundtrack because they would be PERFECT.

‘I, The Bereft‘ , is an acoustic track which brings out a the more simple side of Myridian and proves to be a good interlude, giving you time to process what you’ve heard so far. ‘Desolace‘ is  probably one of the tracks that venture into heavier realms, the vocals with a brutal, blackened edge and the drums bludgeoning through on some sections while remaining distant in others. ‘Mourning Tide’, the final track on this stunner, in my opinion was the perfect song to close with because it sort of summarizes and reminds you what the essence of Myridian’s music is all about. The vocals exhibit versatility while the drums are in complete sync with the mellow but doom-laden riffs,

It’s easy to say that a band replicates or is similar to other bands in the same genre but with Myridian, they culminate a few different elements into their  music and make a sound that they can certainly call their own. It may take a listen or two but you’ll find eventually that these guys are quite unlike any other melodeath/doom outfit you’ve heard.  The Insomnium vibes are definitely present though, at least for me, with that brilliant balance between harsh and clean vocals (some narrative), the flow of melody on every track interwoven with breaks of heavy guitar and bass lines. The background keys throughout prove to be a guiding factor in Myridian’s music and they make it work beautifully. The musicianship proves to be much more sophisticated; there is a definite maturity that’s kicked in, both musically and in the song-writing along with a much better production than the first. One of the strongest points for me though is the instrumentation – on ‘ Under The Fading Light’, what’s primarily heard when you have a listen is the piano and the vocals, the others sort of more distant, while on this release, the instruments and the vocals don’t overpower each other, making it more accessible to listen to.  Myridian have certainly outdone themselves with this album, not only carving their own niche in Australian metal but proving that they are never short of creativity and originality making music that boasts metallic elegance.

Band: Myridian

Album: We, The Forlon

Year: 2015

Label: Independent

Genre: Melodeath/ doom metal

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