Band:	Moanaa
Album:	Descent
Style:	Post-metal, Atmospheric sludge metal
Release date:	September 30, 2014
A review by:	tea[m]ster

01. Sunset Growing Old
02. Repulsive
03. Lit
04. Zero
05. Lost In The Noise
06. Ion...
07. ...Mills
08. Away

Right under our noses there is a post-metal revolution happening in the eastern European countries. It seems Greece, Russia, Ukraine and Poland have joined the party late and fallen in love with this genre, because now, more than ever, most of my highly rated post-metal albums have come from those places. Adding to this trend are Poland's Moanaa and their debut LP Descent. Using a "typical" post-metal format, Descent isn't musically ground breaking but a laudable example of what fans of this scene should want and expect.

During its 60 minute excursion Descent does an elevated job creating an overwhelming atmosphere through portions of sensitive moments of slower instrumental speculation and violent, powerful sections. The post-metal genre is clearly defined by specific descriptions and the check list for post-metal requirements on Descent have been, well, checked off. Trendy characteristics as follows:

☑ complex melodies that abandon the verse-chorus method
☑ distorted, down-tuned guitars and reverb
☑ thick bass
☑ lengthy, crescendo-styled songs
☑ minimalist vocals and drum work

Is this album any different from other "post" material released in the last couple years? No, but the execution vaults Descent into the upper tier of its kind. The music is deep but not necessarily concealed, and the loud instrumentation flourishes without losing its sense of direction. Sometimes, post-metal meanders off the beaten path, making you wonder why the heck a 9 minute song feel like it turned into 18. Moanaa have created a sound constantly on the move. Also, when the ambient spaciness displaces aggression, gorgeous flowing undercurrents drift their way to surging build-ups and explosions; the electronics and programming are stunning. Finally, the production and guitar tone are top notch quality. None of the instruments sound buried and the dynamics and motions ease from song to song. The best parts about this album are the thick, layered guitars, all the moving parts and sophisticated sequences gelled unanimously together and the essential replay value that comes with projects of this magnitude. The songs are really well written and absorbed me so to continue to look for elite post-metal. Because, let's face it, the genre as a whole is really starting to get monotonous.

Moanaa, have created a style of post-metal that's air tight when the pressure from the music is dense and yet spacious when the surroundings allow for floating through the environs. There's not much egoism in the presentation, the nerve center is the entire body of work as a whole and the luminous mystique that's generated. The cover artwork is genius, a really telling portrait of the dissonance that appears on the album. I can't wait to see what these guys do next.

Give it a try over here.