we here at tsos do indeed try to keep an eye on what our readers are looking for, and so i figured i needed to get this review up asap. given the number of times google has referred readers here based on play listings for the severely departed’s self-released debut in our “most recent tracks” section, it’s pretty clear there’s a lot of interest in this band.
so what’s going on here then? it’s post-rock, yes. and yes, post-rock is quickly approaching a crossroads of sorts. there are dozens – hundreds, probably thousands – of bands that could not only be classified under the genre, but could specifically be defined as having a very similar sound and feel to their music. it’s to the point now where a band really has to define a niche for itself in order to stand out, and given the level of competition out there, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do.
the severely departed, who are based in the buffalo, new york area, do a solid job of distinguishing themselves from the majority of the pack. emotive guitar work unfolds over a deep. solid bass and rhythm section. it’s easy to follow the wave of sound from the higher end of the register down to the low end, only to find yourself caught in the tension of a lead line pulling your attention back from the undertow. there’s a fair amount of distortion mixed in with the clean leads as well, which should keep the fans of the heavier side happy, and enough epic punch spread over the moderately-lengthed tracks (the longest is just under 7 minutes) to satisfy the genre-nerds without losing their attention.
the group demonstrates a talent for creating momentum throughout each song, relying on effecient builds to lead to the knock-out punch instead of attempting to go for the jugular early and often. surprisingly, the band is actually a duo, which makes the amount of depth on these tracks all the more impressive.
the severely departed: