One must appreciate the rare moments where all your musical interests intersect in some way. Although I have been deep in the post-metal pit, I am always looking out for new progressive death metal to enjoy. Rannoch’s newest release, Conflagrations, scratches that itch for me, as it combines several of my musical interests into one cohesive album that just works. Let’s discuss.

Before I begin, I just wanted to take a moment to say that Willowtip Records has truly been doing the Lord’s work this year, haven’t they?

Now, “Degenerate Era,” the first track, is a sliver of something unique; an atmospheric introduction of what’s to come, giving the listener a false sense of security. However, there is a twist: once the guitars and drums come in, the death metal aspect fully comes alive, and it only heightens when “Prism Black” starts. With a seamless transition, “Prism Black” sinks into blackened death territory, as the drums take on blast bleats towards a frenetic tempo. You are slowly pulled into the song’s complexities, skirting towards experimentation, but then it pulls back into a clean, melodic bridge that kicks in halfway through the song. It gives the listener a moment to appreciate how effectively Rannoch switches between the chugging nature of death metal and the expansive nature of prog, before switching back to that blackened chugging that had me hooked throughout the entire song. Now, if you were expecting the band to stay in the mold that “Prism Black” created, then “Threads” takes back the blackened elements and becomes mired in technicality. It’s clear that Rannoch are excellent musicians, and their musicianship on “Threads” is nothing short of excellent. For example, towards the end of “Threads,” there is this snippet of music that sounds like it was borrowed from Black Crown Initiate, Ne Obliviscaris, or labelmates Contrarian and modified it to give “Threads” a proper end.

As the album continues, Conflagrations begins to take on this brooding quality to it that sounds like something that was taken from post-metal. Gone is that high, aggressive energy we saw on the previous tracks; the music has become more controlled, clearer in its intent and in its tone. However, under that clarity lies this intricate build-up of sound that incorporates faraway vocals used to great effect. Then, the music becomes dense and cavernous, contrasting with the touch of clean vocals slips halfway through “Conflagrations,” cementing that post-metal quality. This, placed on top of what I recognize to be progressive metal a la “walls of sound,” gives the music this interesting melodic atmosphere that reminds me of “Of Blood and Salt” (context). This eventually builds up to the 17-minute closer “Threnody to a Dying Star,” an expansive lament that reminds me of Erebe’s “Sun Leak,” both in scope and in vocal hooks. While the general atmosphere is melancholic, there is something extremely hopeful about it, as if, at any time, that prog death we become so familiar with will kick in, and it does. “Threnody to a Dying Star” is an endurance test, the final song that ties everything together so beautifully. Every single thematic, loose end that one could complain about or find odd is placed here, completely put together into a long composition that works incredibly well. This song alone is worth the album’s runtime – all roads lead to “Threnody,” and you must burn out to get there.

All in all, Conflagrations is an excellent record, one I will come back to towards the end of the year. Although I have some minor issues with it, such as the usage of segue tracks and the wall that the first three songs can be, I find Conflagrations to be a stellar piece of musicianship. This kind of album makes me happy to live in a post-Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape, because this means that prog death is finally getting its time to shine.

Hasta la proxima!

— Hera

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Conflagrations will be available July 21 on Willowtip Records. For more information on Rannoch, visit their Facebook page.