I have a working theory that in any piece of music, most lay listeners primarily hear the vocals. The strongest case for this idea was at Furnace Fest ’21, where the “dream-thrash” band Astronoid, a band known for their blistering riffs, fiery solos, and blastbeats galore were booked on the stage reserved for the quieter bands.
But even so, Radiant Bloom might stand to challenge even those listeners, as Astronoid offers up the most brutal instrumental performance of their career.
When I first heard Astronoid’s debut record Air, I was spellbound. Their particular brand of genre-bending heavy metal (which they call “dream thrash”) had all of the punishing heaviness of traditional thrash but with an tender, life-affirming heart. It’s blast beats and hairspray-soaked guitar solos were paired with dreamy melodies and anthemic harmonies.
But knowing that lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, I was a little apprehensive when I saw they were releasing a new record. Could the gimmick really pay off again?
The answer is, “yes, and handsomely.”
If you’ve been following along at all, you’ve probably noticed that I have a deep love for weird metal. Particularly, heavy metal that looses itself from the macho tropes that have conventionally marred metal music and stretches beyond the rigid confines of the genre. Bands like Alcest, Deafheaven, Isis, Spotlights…the list goes on.
The Boston outfit Astronoid hits every single one of those buttons—and then some.