Distances themselves from the blackgaze moniker on excellent sophomore album
With Astronoid's 2016 debut album 'Air', (and their two previous EP's), they garnered a reputation for becoming one of the upcoming Blackgaze bands to watch for. Treating the ears with their dreamy, guitar riffs, blast beats, and soft & melodic clean vocals, Astronoid was a breath of fresh air--no pun intended--in the metal world.
Fast forward to 2019, and with the release of their sophomore effort, Astronoid shed much of the Blackgaze overtones and replace it with more progressive song structures. Songs such as "Lost", "Fault", and "Water" show not only a creative improvement since the first album, but also demonstrate how they continue to create complex music that showcases the beauty within the brutality. The vocals are what really stand out on this album. Even though they aren't as dreamy and spacey as on the debut album, they seem to be more harmonized than ever before. Although they may be hard for some people to get use to, they go with the music very well and provide a more canorous result the second time around.
'Astronoid' is an excellent album in this young band's career and although not perfect, is a great stepping stone for greater albums to come. If you're into melodic post-metal with clean vocals, don't pass on this gem!
Recommended for fans of: Lantlôs, Deafheaven, Alcest, Fen