“Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” -Denis Diderot.

Hailing from the state of Washington, Bréag Naofa (Gaelic for ‘holy lie’) are a relatively new act comprised from members of other Washington based based acts Trial, Sinking Ships and Love Is Red. And for those folks lamenting the demise of Fall of Efrafa (but don’t mention Light Bearer) and their epic, intellectual post-rock take on literary atheism, look no further than Bréag Naofa to fill that void.

Originally self-released digitally by the band, Seattle’s Panic Records has snapped up this debut untitled release for a vinyl treatment and the result is a must have release in either format for fans of Isis, Neurosis, Cult of Luna, Rosetta and such, but it’s the band’s sprawling militant vegan and atheist stylings that truly brings them up to elite status and cements the compelling Fall of Efrafa comparisons.

Starting with a quote from notorious contract killer Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski, the album is four lengthy (7-13 minutes or so) unnamed tracks of rumbling mid-paced builds, crusty d-beat urgency and delicate introspective moments. It’s all tied together by the common lyrical theme, DIY but dense production and throaty roars, and it all comes together perfectly. Nothing is really forced or piece meal. The balance between dark, crushing riffs, snarling crust and ambiance is perfect as heard on the last third of “II”, last half of “III” and the album’s most sprawling enthralling cut, closer  “IV”. From its hypnotic opening hues, deliberate build, heaving rhythmic mid section, thunderous peak and calming acoustic close out. It’s  all just perfectly done from start to finish and never lingers to long on the ambience. It just commands your attention from start to finish, almost effortlessly.

So do yourself a favor and pick this up on vinyl or donate a few bucks to the band and get a digital release here.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments