Description
The new darlings of the American post-rock underground present a collection of well-wrought bangers on their debut full-length album. Powerfully melodic and heavy at the same time, Wield shows the Philadelphia-based quintet mastering their game of creating compelling melodies that sound larger than life.
2022 saw HIROE burst onto the scene with an explosive debut EP full of soaring anthems and sublime soundscapes. Combining the sonic expansiveness of Deftones with the dynamic heaviness of bands like ISIS and Caspian, HIROE already figured out how to make the most majestic sounding post-rock early in their career. “Our first album, Wrought was a statement of creation,” explains principal songwriter Eric
Kusanagi about the intent behind their debut full-length. “This second record is about what to do with that creation. The thought was, we’ve created this, now how do we wield it?”
For the recording of Wield, Jill Paslier moved from bass to guitars, while Brian Kong (guitars), Jon Seiler (bass) and Dan Sagherian (drums) joined to complete the lineup. Produced once more by Mario Quintero (Spotlights) Wield capitalizes on everything the band learned in the creation of its predecessor, adding to it a new focus on textural intricacies and compositional detail.
«The Calm» opens the album as a shimmering overture to a majestic ride, like waking up early to set out on a journey. While all the world’s asleep, with the sky still dark and the stars shining brightly overhead, the album opener sucks you in with its pristine xylophone tones over sweeping bass arpeggios. Besides the majestic three guitar-harmonies and the intricate single line work, it’s especially Jon’s bass playing that’s exceptionally powerful across the board. On «Collider» the bass cleverly foreshadows the guitars into one of the most sweeping transitions on the album, while on «Dancing at the End of the World» Jon is figuratively dancing across the strings.
“We wanted to show a larger range of musical themes on this record,” continues Eric. “You’ll hear us dive into some synth work, some piano work, some really interesting effects that Mario helped us dial up.” Wield packs a lot of details, which are fun to uncover over repeated plays. «Collider» is almost completely driven by high precision tapping leads, which are ingeniously mirrored by the chords on the final climax. «The Crush» sees the band’s three guitarists chugging away happily over a clever 7/8 rhythm subtly exchanging thrashy, sludgy and prog-inspired stylings.
Nevertheless, Wield is still an affair of instant gratification for fans of guitar driven post-rock. From the soaring leads of «Tides» to the epic finale of «I’ve Been Waiting For You All My Life», HIROE show they’ve upped their game in every department, but especially the one that tugs at your heartstrings. Wield presents the brave new future we all need in these confusing times. A new American frontier on which we can build our wildest dreams and our most daring ambitions!
FOR FANS OF
Caspian, Isis, pg.lost, Red Sparowes, If These Trees Could Talk, Shy Low, Ranges, Pray For Sound
