Minsk - With Echoes in the Movement of Stone

With dark ambiences, tribal percussion, psychedelic sounds, hypnotic rhythms and a crushing heaviness, “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” is an engaging and rare musical experience.
On their third full-length work, Chicago’s Minsk have created a sound that could be described as all of their own, clearly distinguishing themselves from the overcrowded post-metal movement that have become quite popular in the last few years. Their songs still evoke a fervent and raw edge similar to Neurosis, yet they seem to go a step further with Minsk adding more variety to them by meshing diversified layers and textures. As a consequence “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” is a demanding and intricate record, containing plenty of details and distinct emotions, but without ever falling into the let's-fuck-up-some-heads approach that some bands opt just for the sake of puzzling the listeners. The fluidity of the songs is vital to Minsk and on “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” they ebb and flow as if they were alive, with bursts of primal savagery deftly intertwined with moments of atmospheric subtlety. On opener “Three Moons” such pendulous trait is heavily accentuated with the band oscillating between harsh, heavy riffs and bleak melodies, and the voice of Tim Mead come into a combination of enraged shouts and mournful cries that sound almost like shamanistic chants.
Following song, “The Shore of Transcendence” has a heavy 70’s psychedelic vibe to it, not too dissimilar to acts like Iron Butterfly or The Doors’ “The End”. The drummer Tony Wyioming does an excellent work by playing idiosyncratic and tribal drum patterns to build a drowsy and slow rhythm that meshes incredibly with slow-burning and down-tuned riffs, Arabic scales, wind synth effects and Hammond-generated psychedelia. “Almilra's Premonition” surges next in a similar dreamy and sluggish pace, emanating a soothing atmosphere that would not be out of place on the most depressive doom album you know.
Musically, the band is definitely tighter than ever as the songs are perfectly crafted, clearly the consolidation of everything Minsk has been aiming for all along.
(8/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/minsk
Label info: www.relapse.com
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