Labels: Gizeh
Review by: Alex Deller
Six tracks of grunt-and-plunge post-metal from London’s Wren, all sketched in smudges of grey and black. Initial impressions are that the band have taken the vibe of early Isis as their blueprint, which means a focus on chugging repetition over the artier attempts at post-rock ‘expanse’ that so many bands chose to mimic. Once you begin to poke around, however, you notice some funny stuff between the cracks … the glum, rattling influence of Kowloon Walled City’s Scott Evans, who served as producer, and on the lengthy ‘Subterranean Messiah’, input from cellist Jo Quail and members of Fvnerals. These external influences seem to draw Wren out of themselves, pushing them towards something bigger and more formidable … a record that relies on thoughtful layering as much as it does craggy riffs and unbridled bellicosity.