THE BURDEN OF HOPE

Another post rock band that started as a side-project for various musicians from more established groups, Grails ended up recording this first album in 03. What came up is an almost standard post rock but with shorter songs and less artsy-fartsy noodley bruitages in between the tracks or elongating them needlessly.

As the artwork suggest, there is a bit of Far-eastern influences, mostly induced by the violin that often borders Indian Classical music, the quintet is actually just as capable as the other better-known post-rock groups, often toying with volume and dynamics rather than changing tempo or using chord changes. Sonically we?re not far away from GYBE or DMST. The band being entirely instrumental, it?s rather not like EITS or Mogwai

It is now 2009 and it is only now that I?ve heard of these guys, chancing upon them as they opened for David Eugene Edward?s Woven Hand? European tour. By now the group has released 5 albums and if in concert there is a slight Ozric feeling, making the band oscillate between Psych and Post, I assure you that on record, they?re purely post rock. Neither good, nor bad, just average. Cool first album bur past the initial good post rock impression, this is little more than average for most progheads, who?ll have every right not to find the name of this band in a blindfold test listen.