Whilst Neurosis, Isis and Cult Of Lunawillstandthetestoftime, the success of post-metal in the new millennium has led to a saturation of haunted men with beards shouting over ambient drones and never-ending riffs. Latitudes prove there is hope yet.
The opening synth rumble of Hyperstatic Forge evolves into an acid-marinated trip through dreamy landscapes, with a sense of urgency rarely found in post-progressive realms. Soothing falsetto vocals from ex-Eden Maine man Adam Symonds are used subtly on certain tracks to add cracks of human fragility within a mass of otherwise instrumental textures, furnishing the grandiose build-ups and sludgey atmospherics with phosphorescent beams of spectral light that shimmer above the spacey winds.
The solid craftsmanship of songs like Vortice Of Malady and Shapeshifting benefit from production work by Chris Fielding (Napalm Death, Electric Wizard), who captures the band’s essence with just the right amount of grit to leave space within the dynamic range where needed. Individuation might not be particularly groundbreaking, but it certainly sounds big.
