ERRANT - errant (Review)

Written: The Voiceless Apparition

I just want to preface this review by saying that I'm a Rae Amitay fan. I think she is a highly original, unique, and diverse musician in a world full of rip-offs and corner-cutters. Be it Immortal Bird, her work with Thrawsunblat, etc.,  she puts her distinctive stamp on all of these projects. So when I heard the news that she was making her own band in which she composes and writes everything, I was ecstatic. errant is described by Rae as "a vehicle for realizing ideas that exist in a separate space from Immortal Bird", and that has me intrigued.

Right off the bat, this EP is significantly different than anything she has ever done before. The opening track "The Amorphic Burden" alone runs the gamut of alternative rock, post-metal, and small tinges of black metal. The dynamics in this song are beautiful; the way this song flows between the more melodic and subdued parts and the more intense and heavy sections is particularly well done. I'm really loving the melodies in this song as well. "The Amorphic Burden" proves the point that metal can have hooks and still be kickass.

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"A Vacillant Breath" once again changes things up even more. The song begins with a gorgeous clean guitar melody leading into a welcome surprise: Rae's clean vocals come in. She has a fantastic clean singing voice. Everything about this song is so emotive and really strikes me in the heart, but not in a sad way, in a euphoric way. Continuing the trend, "Oneirodynia" is a really unique song. It's a little bit more of a progressive number with stuttering riffs and off-kilter drum work while also leaning on the heavier side once again. The EP ends with a fantastic cover of Failure's "Saturday Savior". There's really not too much to say about this cover other than that it sticks pretty true to the original, albeit with more distortion. It's a really well done cover.

With this EP, errant enters into the musical world with a penchant for strong melodies, atmosphere, and emotion. Boasting strong production values, blurring the lines of multiple genres, and offering ideas that are sure to intrigue anyone with an open-mind, this is a new release that you need to check out. For anyone who loves the projects of Rae Amitay, or just experimental music in general: highly recommended.

errant - errant will be released April 3rd via Manatee Rampage Recordings

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errant can be found:
Bandcamp
​Instagram