HEIRS Fowl [CD]

Hailed as one of the best post-metal albums of 2009, HEIRS’ debut, Alchera, established the Melbourne-based act as one of Australia’s foremost instrumental bands. The album’s accompanying tour saw the band play 69 shows across Europe and Japan, cementing their reputation for delivering an engulfing and all-consuming live experience. The band’s sophomore album, Fowl, displays a shift towards a broader sonic palette. Incorporating a pugilistic rhythmic foundation with coarse, threatening guitar textures and a stronger electronic presence, Fowl takes the HEIRS sound beyond genres and into a realm that is almost hermetic in its vision. Intensely focused yet expansive, the album is technically complex, yet uncluttered and sparse in its execution, simplicity, self-discipline and restraint are the keys to the album's success. Packaged in a rad-ass Euro-digi-thing. For fans of Swans, Controlled Bleeding, HTRK, Pelican, Godflesh, Nadja, huffing paint... [Denovali]