Nova is the excellent new release from instrumental post-rock/prog outfit Eschar and it’s a divinely chilled out and atmospheric listen that shows the band firing from all cylinders.
Instrumental music can sometimes be a little hit or miss; there’s always the possibility of the release not managing to quite maintain your interest as quite often it’s the vocals that’s the first thing you notice about a song. However that is not the case with Nova and Eschar manages to drag you into the music and you just get absorbed by it all.
Opener Aphotic only really serves as an introductory track at less than two minute in duration, but it sets up the scene well, almost feeling like the calm before a storm with stripped-back guitars and very gentle rolling percussion before leading into Monolith and the contrast between the two is stunning. Everything is heavier and more in-your-face, and it’s gripping to say the least.
A particular highlight of the album is the stunning Falling Faintly Through The Universe, which goes through a variety of different styles – from soft and laid-back acoustic tones, to rifftastic guitars that hit you like a tonne of bricks, and there’s a particular repeating melody line that keeps playing over and over, and inevitably gets stuck in your head for a long time after you’ve finished listening.
There isn’t really much to be faulted with Nova. Perhaps a little more variation between songs would have been nice, but it’s an all-round great listen that could well propel this band into becoming one of the greats in the instrumental rock scene.
8/10
