Even in increasingly rewarding times for those who favour originality and creativity over cheap thrills and the bleeding obvious, Black Peaks stand out as a band with honourable artistic intentions.
Statues is a beautifully cohesive debut album and a commanding demonstration of their genre-mincing approach. Gnarly alternative rock is the starting point for fiery and fluid anthems like Glass Built Castles and Say You Will, but there’s so much more going on here. The reassuring, contemporary crunch, the widescreen squall of artful post-rock and the neck-snapping nimbleness of leftfield prog have all been harnessed for the greater good.
Black Peaks are burgeoning craftsmen and these songs seldom put a foot wrong, with melodies that linger and bursts of vein-popping aggression woven together with laudable subtlety and skill.
Ultimately, Black Peaks sound like no one else right now, but the potential appeal of mini-masterpieces like Set In Stone is vast.
