SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: I HEAR SIRENS – ACHERON

I HEAR SIRENS
ACHERON
POST. RECORDINGS/DUNK! RECORDS

Salt Lake City’s I Hear Sirens have released their debuted in 2007 with their brand of post-rock with their self-titled EP. Since then they have released their third and perhaps their most accomplished album to date. With Acheron however, there is a certain level of experimentation. They make this instrumental album quite an interesting audio trip. Without the benefit of lyrics, I Hear Sirens have produced an emotional album taking one on powerful excursions into another world.

The album opens with the dramatic “Watcher/Prey”. The song opens with seemingly sparse yet layered guitar-driven melodic music. This bursts into a cacophony of sound. It is a wall of sound that hits the listener in the blink of an eye. The song ends with an audio battle where the watcher has now become the prey. This is followed by the title track, which has a similar pattern. Here, however, the band does not tease the listener with over two minutes of mellow music, but rather jumps into the sound rather quickly. Although it has less of an impact, it is still a sound force that hits the listener. I Hear Sirens try to give the listener an idea of what the sound of the river in Hades (according to Greek mythology).

This is followed by a religious reference with “The Pale Horse”. The Pale Horse is one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and represents Death. The song is a force. The arrangement and instrumentation are structured to provide a soundtrack for the horseman and perhaps all four. It is ominous and one of the strongest tracks on the album.

The album ends with another tip of the hat to Greek mythology. This time, the song “Atropos” is referring to one of the three Fates. Atropos’ function, basically, is to make sure that all the decisions of her sister are set in stone. For Atropos it is a no refunds, no returns, no reprieves policy when it comes to her sister’s decisions. I Hear Sirens makes it clear that done is done and that is how the album ends.

I Hear Sirens are part of a very distinct genre and as such could be compared to bands like Explosions In The Sky and Mono. But they have their own distinct sound and their ability to create stories and create emotion and more with just their instruments. Acheron is a very strong album full of incredible sounds.

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