Chilean metal trio Nuvian have digitally released their debut self-titled studio album on July 17. Formed by Matías Salas (Overtoun), Gabriel Contreras, and drummer Tom Cortez, the group has conceptualized a progressive metal album promising a hypnotizing delivery from the first listen.
Starting with “Orquídea,” the track flows with synthesized passages and arrangements, moving as an invitation to close your eyes and let yourself be carried away by the calming melody.
The dominance of bass is evident at first glance, providing depth to the composition and generating an interesting harmony that exceeds expectations. “Río Arriba” continues the same harmonic line of the previous track, but the bass arrangements become even more evident, giving a more theatrical sound within post-rock. The third song on the album, only fifty seconds long, is somber and dark, well deserving of the title that gives its name; “Sequía” distorts the sound to provide the feeling of anguish and doom of nature that Chileans emphasize.
Upon reaching the middle of this progressive delivery, the envelope “Hormiga” holds unique multi rhythms. Here, each instrument takes on real prominence of its own, creating an energetic composition getting closer to the path of progressive metal that we are used to hearing. Clearly, this album delivers a series of colors that invite musical trance, “Árbol” is an excellent demonstration of that thanks to its synthesized instrumental passages mixed with fast strings, creating a whole new listening experience.
The trio’s math rock demonstrates the technical quality in each song that grows as the album progresses; “Sombras” is a journey of fast rhythmic resources with dark musical overtones. The end of this long duration is called “Semilla” and as its name indicates, it generates the feeling of hope and rebirth, with the piano keys that accompany this melancholic theme being the protagonists of a work that fits each of the measures to give life to a unique and innovative sound.
Overall, this new atmospheric progressive metal project is an interesting and hypnotic sound experience where you can appreciate the technical difficulty of each instrument but simple to understand for the listener with songs that invite reflection and calm without being extremely long and exhausting. A success within instrumental metal that should be listened to in a peaceful environment and on repeat.
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