Arcane Roots - Melancholia Hymns (Album Review)

There’s something special about Arcane Roots. Upon the release of their mini-album, ‘Left Fire’, six years ago, the press pushed, shoved and slapped each other to cover them. They wanted to proclaim ‘I got to them first! I uncovered this hidden gem!’ before dumping them just as quickly. The usual.

That didn’t happen, though. When the Kingston trio’s debut LP, ‘Blood & Chemistry’, arrived in 2013, it melded modern-day Biffy Clyro-isms with vicious post-hardcore and people still cared.

It’s a good job, too, because on album two, ‘Melancholia Hymns’, we have a completely different proposition altogether. The mathcore trappings have all but been subtracted, save for Matter’s hulking, tech metal denouement.

This album is unlike anything the band – and most of their peers – would have dreamed of achieving only a short while ago. It has more in common with Devin Townsend, Steven Wilson or Nine Inch Nails than it does the Fall of Troy.

Everything [All At Once] finishes with another dose of djentified chugging, granted, but it’s not like it’s just been wedged in to please those who worship the heavy stuff. It’s part of the narrative. ‘Melancholia Hymns’ clocks in just shy of an hour, its 10 songs seamlessly segueing through immersive musical movements.

The band have also embraced synths here and it pays off. Its snapshots of emotional, Pink Floydian space trips are given an almost singer-songwriter treatment, with James Blake being the obvious comparison. It’s not derivative, simply taking that idea and applying it to this sprawling work of rock grandeur.

There's still a slew of oddball moments to crash into your cranium, too. Several of Andrew Groves’ vocal takes are reminiscent of Mastodon’s Troy Sanders at his most ethereal, while Indigo’s opening features a performance that could belong to Kings of Leon if that band were capable of anything other than phoning it in.

This is a progressive rock record that makes you feel, as cheesy as that sounds. It’s not as scratchy or angular as some of the band’s previous output. It’s better than that. ‘Melancholia Hymns’ is worlds apart from 99.9% of the acts Arcane Roots have been associated with in the past. It's carving its own path through the wilderness.

Arcane Roots Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:

Thu October 05 2017 - LONDON Scala
Fri October 06 2017 - WOLVERHAMPTON Slade Rooms
Sat October 07 2017 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 3
Sun October 08 2017 - GLASGOW King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
Mon October 09 2017 - BELFAST Empire Music Hall
Wed October 11 2017 - DUBLIN Whelans
Fri October 13 2017 - LIVERPOOL Arts Club, Loft
Sat October 14 2017 - BRIGHTON Haunt
Sun October 15 2017 - BRISTOL THE FLEECE
Tue October 17 2017 - LEEDS Key Club
Wed October 18 2017 - EDINBURGH Mash House
Thu October 19 2017 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Fri October 20 2017 - PETERBOROUGH Met Lounge
Sat October 21 2017 - STOKE Sugarmill
Sun October 22 2017 - GUILDFORD Boileroom

Click here to compare & buy Arcane Roots Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

More Reviews from Alec Chillingworth

Conjurer - Mire

Judas Priest - Firepower

Ministry - AmeriKKKant

Andrew W.K. - You're Not Alone

Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It

Machine Head - Catharsis

Tribulation - Down Below

Watain - Trident Wolf Eclipse

At The Drive-In - Diamante EP

Godflesh - Post Self

Milk Teeth - Go Away

Converge - The Dusk In Us

You May Also Like:

Thanks For Listening, Thanks For Understanding: The Hold Steady Come Alive In London

Wed 14 Mar 2018

Illustration: Thomas Norton There are easier jobs than singing along with Craig Finn, particularly when he’s in this sort of mood. His arms are spread wide, proselytising like the old days. He shimmies and shakes. His guitar, never his closest friend, swings at his waist like an invitation to a party he’s only half into. His words pour out and are yelled back by everyone who can keep pace; anyone who hasn’t already screamed their voice to shreds. It’s good to see him back in a bar band, baby.

An Extra Thrill and a Twist: Introducing Marine

Tue 03 Apr 2018

Marine’s music pushes the listener into a dreamy state of consciousness with a blend of anarchically melodic instrumental arrangements and a female chorus of trill, tuneful vocals.

Yo La Tengo - There's A Riot Going On (Album Review)

Wed 21 Mar 2018

Since they shuffled onto the stage over 30 years ago, New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo have established themselves as one of the most enduring lo-fi bands on the east coast, creating a catalogue of distinctive shoegaze that has impressed with its subtle diversity.

The Breeders - All Nerve (Album Review)

Thu 22 Mar 2018

Photo: Marisa Gesualdi It takes a short while to get your head around the new album from the Breeders as it sounds like something very familiar. After multiple listens, it turns out that the answer is…the Breeders. ‘All Nerve’ sounds just like the Breeders.

Coming of Age: Press To MECO Forge Ahead on 'Here's To The Fatigue'

Tue 10 Apr 2018

Press to MECO are one of a number of interesting, slightly off-kilter alt-rock bands bubbling under in the UK at the moment, with their new record ‘Here’s to the Fatigue’ pushing them into ambitious new territory.

Albert Hammond Jr. - Francis Trouble (Album Review)

Fri 16 Mar 2018

Photo: Autumn de Wilde “What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed or taken too seriously.”

Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Album Review)

Thu 12 Apr 2018

Photo: Tonje Thilesen When confronted with an empty canvas, there’s always a temptation to fill every inch of it; to purge yourself of ideas, to remake and remodel. On their second album, ‘Painted Shut’, Hop Along didn’t have that option. Their time in the studio came with a full stop attached to it, so they had to work fast and clean. The dense, layered approach of their debut, ‘Get Disowned’, was set aside in favour of economical indie-rock songs that had the happy byproduct of pushing their melodies, and Frances Quinlan’s remarkable voice, to the fore more than ever before.

The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl (Album Review)

Tue 20 Mar 2018

Photo: Holly Andres On their eighth studio album, ‘I’ll Be Your Girl’, the Decemberists have taken a substantial risk. To a large extent, their folky, quirky core has disappeared and in its place you’ll find something unusual: synthesizers. In the words of frontman Colin Meloy, they experimented with “a lot of weird keyboards”.