Toundra are a 4 piece outfit from Madrid, Spain. Esteban, Alberto, Macón
and Álex have been writing music since 2007 and in 2009 they released
their first album (I). If at that time their potentiality was evident,
today, after the release of the albums II and III – III is a
particularly interesting album and maybe my favourite work from them so
far thanks to its dark vein – they are one of the most well-known bands
in the instrumental post-metal/post-rock music scene.
IV is the last
effort of the Spanish quartet and it’s a collection of eight movements
that is not 100% post-rock or 100% post-metal, but a fine mix of the two
and that will please several kinds of audiences, from fans of metal to
indie rock enthusiasts.
Even though the new album is fully
instrumental there is a concept behind it. IV tells the story of
two foxes that need to escape from the forest where they live because of
a huge fire. For the band, that fire represents our politicians that
are destroying our jobs and opportunities while the forest represents
our hometowns or the place we want to live. The band were able to
deliver this concept with the energy and dynamics that characterise
their music style. On a first listen, I noticed that IV echoes the sound
of bands like ISIS and Russian Circles, which for sure influenced the
Spanish outfit, but listening more carefully and going deeper into the
tracks, I have to tell that Toundra manage to serve you a sonic
experience that has its own unique flavour.
‘Strelka’ is the first
song of the new record and, as required by the post-rock tradition, its
introduction last about 4 minutes before developing in a vertigo of
sound where the instruments are combined all together and before
dissolving into the following track. It’s a nice start to the album that
works as a kind of introduction to the following seven movements. If
‘Strelka’ has a well mixed amount of melody and riffs, the following
‘Qarqom’ is a crazy ride that on the one side demonstrates the talent of
the band in terms of execution, but on the other side is a bit too
much: there’s no escape, it keeps you constantly on the move and you’ll
need to sign with relief. The following tracks ‘Lluvia’, ‘Belenos’ and
‘Viesca’ instead have a great balance of post-metal, post-rock and
progressive rock associated with both dark and light moments and their
dynamics makes them more appealing. ‘Viesca’, in particular, has the
most atypical sound thanks to that trumpets that gives to the all track
an unexpected lightness. It’s final is glorious.
The album achieves
its best moment with the song ‘Kitsune’ whose title refers to the
Japanese myth of Kitsune. It’s not by chance that the band used this
song as album preview: the idea of the myth of the Japanese fox ended to
influence the whole album and from the music point of view this track
encapsulates everything that Toundra have done so far. The dual guitars
and the bassist here do their best to deliver a great atmosphere with
just enough distortion with the collaboration of the drums that know
exactly the time to kick in. The structure of the eight minutes track
fluctuates between energetic guitar riff and dynamic drumbeat that
explode together in a fast, brilliant and perfectly executed rhythm.
IV is an album that requires more than one listening to be fully
understood. It misses that contrast between warm melodies and heavier
moments I need to enjoy and to feel a record to the full but if you give
it the attention it deserve you’ll conclude that Toundra has delivered
an album that is interesting, engaging and fresh, as much as it’s
possible in this music genre.
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Tags: toundra, postrock, post, rock, spain, russian, circles, isis