We live in precarious times, and on top of that, we have political strife that is dragging us to new lows and a disassociation with society as we disappear further into our phones and other devices designed to keep us tuned into a never-ending doom scroll. It’s hard to battle back from that once the hooks are in us, and things such as corporate greed and our disintegrating planet become background noise instead front burner issues.
Portland doom duo Semuta are living in that same reality, watching our power as humans erode away as we’re continually done in by government misdeeds and the further devastation of the most vulnerable members of society. It’s hard to feel hopeful because it doesn’t appear the downward spiral is anywhere near stopping, and the band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Benjamin Caragol and drummer Ben Stoller—adds weight to those issues with their harrowing, yet melodic creations. The five tracks on their debut album “Glacial Erratic” mix a nice blend of doom and post-metal into a cauldron of power that can capture your imagination and hopefully pull more people back into the center of the fight.
“Toeing the Line” opens by spreading an immersive doom pall, the guitars bursting as clean singing adds color to the proceedings. In fact, Caragol’s singing reminds me a bit of Pallbearer’s Brett Campbell, which is a good thing. The playing is then crushing and even rubbery, churning through spacious terrain, the singing soothing as the waves engulf and hammer to an emotional end. “A Distant Light” jolts with guitars, progressive strains mixing in, the singing floating above the clouds. The melodies glow and usher in a psychedelic calm, the visceral pounding chewing away, the speed picking up and crushing as the scars slowly burn into flesh.
The title track is serene at first before the playing batters, softer singing wafting, trudging as the melodies leave tingles. The ground quakes as the tension builds, the guitars lighting up the sky, prog-fueled ambition driving harder, the leads glistening amid cosmic synth. “Selective Memory” has keys glazing, the singing easing in, jostling as the burliness thickens, blows landing hard. There’s an atmospheric gush that gets more pronounced, Caragol calling, “Trying to figure out which of those is really me,” an existential crisis moment that’s palpable, the doom might bleeding into closer “Wounds at the Stem” that immediately soars into space. Guitars echo as the playing slowly pounds flesh, twisting sinew and bending around corners, the singing pushing back as the playing darkens. Calming waters flow as wordless calls pulsate, heavy doom crushing to a echoing end.
It’s hard to imagine things get better anytime soon as far as our societal fracture and governments exercising their will on people, which Semuta highlight so forcefully on “Glacial Erratic.” This is melodic and thought-provoking music, even as it shines a light on some of the worst segments of our society. Change can’t happen if we’re constantly distracted by phones and other trinkets, and as long as the malaise continues, so will the weight of the boot standing on our necks.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/semutapdx
To buy the album, go here: https://semutamusic.bandcamp.com/album/glacial-erratic
Meat Mead Metal 