Band:	Heave Blood And Die
Album:	Post People
Style:	Alternative rock, Post-metal
Release date:	February 04, 2021
A review by:	tominator

01. Radio Silence
02. Kawanishi Aeroplane
03. Metropolitan Jam
04. True Believer
05. Everything Is Now
06. Continental Drifting
07. Geometrical Shapes
08. Post People

F*ck capitalists - the official soundtrack.

If you take a quick look at its album page, you will notice that the genre description for Post People mentions doom metal and sludge metal. Yeah... I don't know about that... Honestly, this sounds more like a blend between some post-metal, psychedelic rock and alternative rock with some added doom here and there. Nothing wrong with that of course; in fact, that's a combination I find quite compelling.

Right from the start, this album has a pretty distinctive feel. The band delivers good performances and with the aid of the production they have managed to create a distinct sound. The guitars for instance have a lot of grit to them. The best way to describe them is gravelly I think, gravelly to the point that even a rally stage in Australia doesn't have that much gravel on it. The drums on the other hand sound a bit more traditional in terms of production, although they still manage to be prominent in the mix even with those attention-seeking guitars. Bass is fine too. As for the vocals, they often sound distant and affected by audio effects, and while that fits with the style of the music, I also wouldn't be surprised if there are people who would heavily dislike it. Actually, the vocals are quite similar to the Miss Lava album I recently reviewed.

The music itself is pretty distinct as well. Again, I feel like the production has a big hand in this. There's also a definite pace throughout the record. Tracks themselves aren't very long so there's never really a feeling that a song drags on for too long. Furthermore, the heavy and softer parts almost flow into each other as effortlessly as it is to storm a Capitol building.

While on the subject... There's a glaringly obvious theme/message going on with the lyrics on Post People, and yes, it's the one I hinted at in the beginning of this review. Honestly, I feel like these lyrics are just as divisive as the political landscape in the USA right now. You will have people that will find them fitting and others will dislike them. There's also some environmentalist stuff going on in them, so if that's not your thing... Basically ask yourself these questions before listening to this album: "Do I hate all capitalist pigs?", "Do I want to hug a tree today?". If the answer is "yes" then I think you will be totally fine with the lyrics. Obviously I'm exaggerating a bit here (or am I?), but I'm trying to say here that if you are interested in this record, expect strong political opinions in the lyrics.

So, would I recommend Post People? Eh... no... I don't think I would. Not because I think it's a bad album (there are some good moments on here), but because of some of the remarks I made earlier. The effects on the vocals and the lyrics are two big "ifs" you have to consider, and at that point I feel like there are probably other options you could take a look at. I recently mentioned two psychedelic records in the album recommendation thread, namely First Nation - Baraka and Oddplay - Bluff. Those aren't exactly the same style as this one, but I do feel like they are more engaging (and less divisive in sound), and as a result more worth your time.