Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Earthrise Eras Lost Company: Self Release Release: 2012 Genre: Post-metal, Doom Reviewer: Grim Gaijin

Killer album

One of my favorite things to do these days is to peruse the endless amount of talent that reside on Bandcamp. With a DIY approach for many of the bands that have a Bandcamp page, the chances of finding something that is right up your alley are very easy. One of the bands that have caught my attention lately is Earthrise from Minneapolis, MN. Not only did the cool cover catch my attention, but with hash tags such as "post-metal", "doom", "progressive", and "experimental", I knew it had to be something right up my alley. Their debut album, Eras Lost, contains 11 tracks of brutal post-metal that demands to be heard!

Right off the bat, Challenger Deep blew me away! Opening with a space-like riff, thrown over some ultra-heavy sludge, Earthrise resembled a great mix of Isis, Neurosis and Godflesh with a little Tool thrown in. Titan continues the heaviness with some mid-paced sludge and some low-end riffs. The third song, Suspension, slows things down a bit, but presents a more eerie side of Earthrise with some awesome delayed acoustic riffs. Next comes Former Worlds – one of my favorite songs on the album. One of the riffs on this track reminds me of Merciless by Godflesh, as it transcends from brutal sludge to a calmer state. The mid-section of the album, maintains the formula of sludgy post-metal, until we get to the 10th song, Exhale. Wasting no time here, Earthrise starts the pummeling right from the beginning, while offering up some Obituary-like riffs. The final track on the album, Frame Dragging, is another Isis-like heavy hitter that even offers up some clean vocals. Combining all of the formulas from above, this is the perfect song for closing out this killer album.

The production value is outstanding, as every instrument can be heard equally, with nothing really being drowned out in the mix. Tom's vocals are spot on and possible one of the best in the post-metal genre. Ever since the demise of Isis, I've been looking for a great post-metal/sludge band to fill the void, and I've definitely found it in Eras Lost by Earthrise. Do yourself a favor and head over to their Bandcamp page and support this great band so they can continue to bring us their brand of metal for many years to come!