EP Review: When The Light Dies - 'Into The Unknown'

Swiss post-rock/progressive/post-metal quintet When The Light Dies detail an entirely new and dystopically ambitious one-track EP experience, Into The Unknown.

Five years ago, Swiss progressive/post-metal band, When The Light Dies released a moving ethereal instrumental masterpiece, Wailing of the Leonids. A one-track instrumental movement that told the dystopic story of a new home for humanity, When The Light Dies supplies a larger and more ambitious EP sequel to its epic predecessor, Into The Unknown.

A dystopic epilogue, Into The Unknown, is daring and engrossing while keeping in stride with their familiar sound.

A dystopic epilogue, Into The Unknown, is daring and engrossing while keeping in stride with their familiar sound. With lovely atmospheric touches that transition into a post-rock paradise of magnificent melancholy guitar riffs, When The Light Dies shows they have indeed grown within the past five years of their last release. Charming clean guitar energies soon transcend into a weighty aggressive ambiance. The final stretch blossoms into an ethereal centerpiece as it dances with colossal guitar strings, raw vocals, and decorated percussive cadence before delicately fading out.

It takes a lot of creativity and time to create a track this long whereas it ascends, it does not grow tired or cold during the listening experience. All the words in the world cannot adequately describe one-track experiences like this. But when it comes to refreshing pieces like this, When The Light Dies is a band driven to supersede the technically inventive arrangments that have come before it, Into The Unknown strives to achieve this with dissonant evolution and grace.