If you’re in serious need of/can’t wait for Pelican’s next slab of awesomesauce that’s (as of now) due in 2025 then by all means, the upcoming new record from Glacier is for you. However, while the complex instrumental heaviness similarities might be your gateway into Glacier we’re pretty sure that once you’ve scaled the Glacier monolith you just might find yourself with a new favorite.
Wit that, we can’t think of a better jumping on point for the Glacier uninitiated than A Distant, Violent Shudder which sees the Boston instrumental quintet of Jesse Vengrove, Derek Dooley, Ryan Traynor, Matthew Vincenty, and Ryan Dooley (With additional guitars and vocals by Liz Walshak) cranking everything up for a moody, Heavy AF opus that goes way beyond the trappings of similar area outfits like Isis and Old Man Gloom to bring longtime fans and potential new listeners five tracks of next level Post-Metal greatness.
We’ve been lucky enough to be able to sit with this record for some time now and it’s one that definitely benefits from repeat listens (Like most great albums do) because why wouldn’t you need more than one go through of an almost thirteen and a half minute opener like “Grief Rolled in Like a Storm” that gets even more endearing as you endure the aural assault over and over again. In a good way, of course.
Following that is no easy feat so it gives us some relief to report that “The old timers said they’d never seen nothin’ like that” is every bit as epic as the opener in almost the exact opposite way… in the beginning, that is. A somber slow burn to start, drummer Vengrove steadily sets the path before presenting a veritable masterclass in dynamic drumming when the song kicks into high gear at a feverish pace deeper in as a stringed maelstrom from the Dooley’s, Traynor, and Vincenty rages overhead.
If anticipation could be soundtracked then Glacier has managed to do it with “Distant/Violent” as this burgeoning boulder of noise makes its’ way from atop an atmospheric peak and slowly rolls down as it picks up substance, size, and speed while “Sometimes it would be a week before we would see the sun” reminds us of Zozobra (Both the band and Old Man Gloom records) as this interlude is the very best of that Boston brand of sonic excursions and experimentations. Then it’s off to the races with “Sand Bitten Lungs” with Glacier as the tortoise if we were in a Tortoise v Hare scenario as slow and steady definitely wins this race and the band concoct the perfect Sludge/Doom amalgamation that slogs along beautifully delivering one last grandiose soundscape in the A Distant, Violent Shudder world.
A Distant, Violent Shudder releases on September 6th through Post.Recordings (In the US with Wolves & Vibrancy Records handling the European release). You can pre-order your own now by heading here or to the stream below (And here for the aforementioned EU release). For more from Glacier, including all the info on upcoming live excursions like the record release one at Deep Cuts on October 19th with Black Pyramid, Circus Trees, and Tears From A Griveing Heart, follow them across ye olde socials by clicking here or here.