It’s long been postulated that songwriting, moreover good songwriting, is an art form. The ability to craft powerful, memorable or simply catchy pieces of music takes some craft for which a certain level of self-awareness, skill and diligence is required; something of which is often taken for granted. The uneducated can see such an endeavor as easy (it isn’t), whilst some artists rest on their laurels and churn out bore-fests of mundanity (the fools) – it’s not something that can be half-arsed. It’s made all the more difficult when writing instrumental music – robbed of the focal point in the vocals, the centerpiece of most music is gone. So extra care is required to produce something of note…
What’s immediately apparent on listening to The Minerva Conduct’s self-titled release is that the Indian supergroup are exceptional musicians, truly exceptional. The playing abilities and command over their instruments is really quite something. In this era of progressive metal, it’s almost a basic requirement to hold at least a Grade 8 mastery of your instrument (and even then that’s considered child’s-play, the plebs), yet there’s something rather exceptional about the talents of these chaps. The intricacies woven into each riff, lead, bass-line and drum pattern offer a deep insight into the hardwork and determination to succeed in crafting complex and teasing prog metal.
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You want riffs? The album is all about them. It’s a monument to the great riff in the sky and so choked full of them, just about anyone would find themselves suitably satiated. The cutting chug riff that brings life to “Metanoia” carries a visceral aggression some bands can only dream of, whilst the thrashy abandon the beginning of “Exultant” demonstrates can only cause concern for local A&E departments from inciting riotous moshpit injuries. Yet it’s not solely finger-flaying tech, as the band knows when to ease up and let some melodicism shine through (see the vast-sounding half-time phrase in “Appentence”). It soars into the heavens and, combined with the band’s penchant for atmosphere, bears the closest resemblance to some form of “chorus” type section. It’s certainly a pleasant reprieve from the barrage of notes that comes to assault the ears which, while performed ably, can at times become a little wearisome.
Whilst it’s all very well and good displaying a knack for riffs and knitting them together, the almost relentless nature of their technicality does threaten to become lost in a wash of white noise. The Minerva Conduct have written these songs with a pseudo formula in mind and, to a degree, it works and gives each song a solid foundation. But with the absence of vocals, there’s a feeling of incompleteness that can rear its head at times. The void is somewhat filled with atmospheric interludes, trip-hop breaks and near-industrial samples (with the ambient finale to the aforementioned “Exultant” sounding delightfully spacey and proggy), but it doesn’t quite reach the top. Many other instrumental albums would incorporate a melody line or phrase in lieu of vocals to thread things together, but not here. The feeling is that with a vocalist pulling everything together, tracks like “Unearth” would hit home far harder than they do.
Having said that, it must be noted that the production is simply sublime. Nail this record to the wall of every studio (and bedroom) recording progressive metal to use as the guide for how to craft a near-faultless mix. While the impactfulness can wander occasionally musically, the production certainly does not let the side down. It’s a constant throughout, but particularly noticeable with the “Grand Arcane” – it bubbles into life with burbling synths but when the staccato riffs hit, boy do you know it. It’s an aural pleasing balance: the quieter, ambient parts sound as soothing and as atmospheric as they are meant to; the hard-hitting metallic riffs (especially those that immediately follow some form of ambience) deliver the desired gut punch.
The Minerva Conduct’s playing and worship of the almighty riff is palpably good, whilst their keen sense of atmosphere adds a certain astronomical quality to proceedings that harks their peers in Fallujah. There are some fine, euphoric, soaring moments of proggy bliss to behold within these nine tracks, which deserve your undivided attention. But for a thread to tie everything altogether, this release would be nothing short of essential listening for everyone.