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"Bantar's debut album is a fine piece of work, a vigorous yet dramatic haven of instrumental post-rock as it should always sound."
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4/5
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“This Heat Is Exhausting” marks the birth of Bantar. However, the three musicians who make up the band - Martijn Weyburg (guitars, bass and keyboards), Frank Weijers (guitars, bass) and Marcel van der Graaf (drums) - are no strangers to the music scene, having played together in Semistereo, whose 2009 progressive rock offering “Welcome You Knight” may well be familiar to some of you.
While this new band doesn't quite operate in the same register as its predecessor, not least because it's instrumental, the Dutchmen's undeniable know-how at least ensures a solid technical foundation. The references displayed, from Isis to Russian Circles via Mogwai and Mono, tie Bantar to post rock. Today, the genre is so washed-out that it cannot forgive mediocrity or a fallow identity. If the Batavians, more diligent students than revolutionary artists, still don't show any real originality, they remain faithful to rather high quality standards, both in terms of execution and songwriting.
The result is an album we weren't expecting, but which proves to be an excellent surprise. “This Heat Is exhausting” combines all the essential ingredients for a post rock album at its best, and doesn't fall into any of the traps (overly soothing ambiences, dull progression) often caused by the absence of vocals and stretched-out compositions. In this way, the trio maintains interest throughout, admirably mastering the art of emotional build-up, while discreet electronic touches ('A Sense Of Purpose') enrich a sound palette obviously dominated by melancholy guitars and space-eating rhythm.
'I Am Tired Of This Montain' is the first track to emerge from this robust yet airy ensemble, and its numbed slowness gradually transforms into an elevation of great scope. At the other end of the listening spectrum, the last two tracks take the record to emotional heights, with percussive escapes ('Muchos Problemas') or a heavy despair that gently dies on a luminous note ('Love Drugs Not War').
Against all odds, Bantar's debut album is a fine piece of work, a vigorous yet dramatic haven of instrumental post-rock as it should always sound. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. We're Not There Yet
02. I Am Tired Of This Mountain
03. White Drone
04. A Sense Of Purpose
05. The Wrestler
06. Into The Rabbit Hole
 07. Muchos Problemas
08. Love Drugs Not War
LINEUP:
Frank Weijers : Guitares / Claviers
Marcel van de Graaf : Batterie
Martijn Weyburg: Guitares / Basse / Claviers
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STAFF:
4/5 (1 view(s))
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