Gravitonne - Grieve In Part
Key Facts
Country: 🏴
Genre: Heavy Metal
Release Date: 18th November 2019
Record Label(s): Independent
Band Members
Thomas Saunders - Vocals, Guitar
Kieran Coughlan - Guitar
Ben Wines - Bass
Connor Moyse - Drums
Gravitonne - Not A One
Review
Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘.5
Favourite Track(s): Not A One, Grieve In Part, Thorne, Night Trappings, Fools, Give & Take
Today, my Sounds Of The Underground takes me all the way to the heart of the West Country, Bideford, Devon to be precise. Having met Tom briefly as part of a virtual pub video call during these strange times, we both shamelessly self promoted ourselves to one another. I walked away with knowledge of Gravitonne and him Vanaheimr, anyway I digress. I have had the pleasure to enjoy their debut album Grieve In Part, an eclectic mix of rock and metal influences that amalgamate into a melancholic yet enigmatic series of songs that will interest and intrigue you. With the West Country being an isolated and often cut off area of the country, we pride ourselves on doing things our way and I definitely got a sense of this from Grieve In Part. The album captures this distinct and unique image of that in my mind, and made for a very enjoyable listen.
Musically, it is very hard to pigeon hole this album, and I don't particularly want to as it's stood out as quite unique out of all the albums that I have listened to recently. From my perspective, it is a good split between doom, prog and heavy metal. There are areas throughout the album that have a very infectious groove that isn't quite you 4/4 pounding that you'd expect, especially in the heavier solo sections. I think the biggest vibe I get from this album is a Tool influence, this is highlighted most to me on Circling Eye, the rhythm of the riff reminds me very much of the bass from Sober and the vocals carry that same sort of emotion that Maynard James Keenan has. On songs Thorne and Fools there is a very Black Sabbath-esque vibe that I really like, a slow, drudging, doom filled march into oblivion. You can see why it's hard to put your finger on exactly what this band is, but ultimately take them for what they are and in my opinion it's awesome. With all these elements coming together, everything is perfectly balanced and I get a strong sense that the songwriting has been deliberated over for a while to make them the best they can be, which is something I personally admire. Whilst the majority of the songs are quite slow, there is a unique energy that presents itself because of it, a very ebb and flow sort of movement that energises you in a different way. One thing I enjoy most is the slow builds of the songs as the pay offs are worth waiting for, combined with good riff writing and a strong use of dynamics and you've got yourself finely crafted songs. The uniqueness of Tom's voice also stands out to me, carrying the interesting vocal melodies throughout the album with a haunting yet strangely psychedelic and mesmerising tone. Overall, this is an incredible effort compositionally, and showcases a band that is cohesive and knows where they want to go with confidence.
The production has blown me away in all honesty, considering that this is an independent band. You expect something that is rough and raw but what you get is a polished and professional album that sounds like it has been recorded in a high end studio with all the proverbial trimmings. Whilst I believe it still captures a strong independent spirit, you can hear that a considerable effort has gone into making this album a sonic powerhouse. I think this is also the most balanced album I've heard in a while as well, very much a case of the sum is greater than its parts. The kick drum sounds nice and chunky and locks in well with the fuzziness of the bass. Both guitar tones compliment each other really well, clean and distorted and it's not overly distorted which is refreshing because I can actually hear notes being rung out compared to the distorted feedback you get with other albums in this style. The snare cuts through with a great snap, and with the cymbals and high-hat reigned in a bit it sounds like a really tight drum mix. As I've said, I'm blown away with the professionalism and cleanness of the production, awesome work by the production personnel.
If you fancy listening to some unique and highly polished music, check out Grieve In Part and support Gravitonne as you will not be disappointed! I'm looking forward to some new material!
Musically, it is very hard to pigeon hole this album, and I don't particularly want to as it's stood out as quite unique out of all the albums that I have listened to recently. From my perspective, it is a good split between doom, prog and heavy metal. There are areas throughout the album that have a very infectious groove that isn't quite you 4/4 pounding that you'd expect, especially in the heavier solo sections. I think the biggest vibe I get from this album is a Tool influence, this is highlighted most to me on Circling Eye, the rhythm of the riff reminds me very much of the bass from Sober and the vocals carry that same sort of emotion that Maynard James Keenan has. On songs Thorne and Fools there is a very Black Sabbath-esque vibe that I really like, a slow, drudging, doom filled march into oblivion. You can see why it's hard to put your finger on exactly what this band is, but ultimately take them for what they are and in my opinion it's awesome. With all these elements coming together, everything is perfectly balanced and I get a strong sense that the songwriting has been deliberated over for a while to make them the best they can be, which is something I personally admire. Whilst the majority of the songs are quite slow, there is a unique energy that presents itself because of it, a very ebb and flow sort of movement that energises you in a different way. One thing I enjoy most is the slow builds of the songs as the pay offs are worth waiting for, combined with good riff writing and a strong use of dynamics and you've got yourself finely crafted songs. The uniqueness of Tom's voice also stands out to me, carrying the interesting vocal melodies throughout the album with a haunting yet strangely psychedelic and mesmerising tone. Overall, this is an incredible effort compositionally, and showcases a band that is cohesive and knows where they want to go with confidence.
The production has blown me away in all honesty, considering that this is an independent band. You expect something that is rough and raw but what you get is a polished and professional album that sounds like it has been recorded in a high end studio with all the proverbial trimmings. Whilst I believe it still captures a strong independent spirit, you can hear that a considerable effort has gone into making this album a sonic powerhouse. I think this is also the most balanced album I've heard in a while as well, very much a case of the sum is greater than its parts. The kick drum sounds nice and chunky and locks in well with the fuzziness of the bass. Both guitar tones compliment each other really well, clean and distorted and it's not overly distorted which is refreshing because I can actually hear notes being rung out compared to the distorted feedback you get with other albums in this style. The snare cuts through with a great snap, and with the cymbals and high-hat reigned in a bit it sounds like a really tight drum mix. As I've said, I'm blown away with the professionalism and cleanness of the production, awesome work by the production personnel.
If you fancy listening to some unique and highly polished music, check out Grieve In Part and support Gravitonne as you will not be disappointed! I'm looking forward to some new material!
Gravitonne - Grieve In Part
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