Myriad Drone - Arka Morgana

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Originally created as a solo Project in 2016, MYRIAD DRONE is an emergent reality of the Melbournian Rock and Metal music scene that features international musicians from Australia, New Zealand and Italy. The band founder and Composer Shamus Maximus, with the support of the fellow bass player Mikey Harland, produced and released the first self-titled Demo/EP in May 2016. The record received an outstanding feedback on the Bandcamp platform and garnered interest within the Post-Rock community, especially for the 'Laura Palmers' Theme' cover, a tribute to Angelo Badalamenti's work for the TV series TWIN PEALKS. MYRIAD DRONE turns into a four piece band in late 2017, and starts writing a new record with completely new approach and heavier musical influences.

“Time Enough to Last” has a slow opening. At first, sharper guitar notes begin to turn softer a bit, then back to sharp. Suddenly, a heavy sound drops out of the air. Some light chanting comes into play here as well, building in layers and then retreating. Like most Post-Metal, the focus is not on heavy guitar work, but rather on cinematic emotions and feelings. “Vitreous” features with some melancholic notes sandwiched between heavier passages, and light, airy vocals. The heavier, and darker moments come in the middle of the song, and then it’s alluring atmosphere and vocals that seem to vanish in the wind from there. “Akra Morgana” is a painting of a “beautiful hoax…something that is meant to vanish.” This song begins in attack mode, with a wall of sound and rolling drums, before settling into a drone of peace and atmosphere, then back to the heaviness again.

“Please Stand by” is a short two-minute track that is heavy and dark, with sharp vocal tones. It represents the anger within. “Atonement” is a nine minute song with more traditional Post-Rock/Post-Metal feeling to it. Clean guitar tones build an atmosphere of beauty and hope. The vocals soar and the entire song has a majestic feeling to it. Following a cathartic passage, it slows to take in the world around. “All Roads Lead” has a pretty little melody with light, airy vocals and some heavy emotional peaks. It has a heavy passage near the middle of the song. The yin and yang on the album so far is strong. “Disguidance” is a near ten-minute song. It opens with pretty clean guitar notes but that dark shadow is still over your shoulder. There is a long pause at around the half-way mark, but you can’t tell if it’s mean to be melancholy or hopeful. With each note that changes, so does the mood. It builds to a crescendo of sound through the end, with endless layers.

“Unrequited” is the album closer, and the word means “thankless” or “unanswered.” It’s a slow moving song high with emotions, really pulling at you from many directions. I feel like I’m lying on a hill in the dark, with a sky full of stars, pondering our collective existence in the universe. This is one of those albums that touches your soul. I’m unsure if it made me feel hopeful or more hopeless in the end, but I felt something big, and that’s all that matters. At times soft and comfortable, while angry and depressing at others, finding that middle ground is what this experience was all about.

Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Memorability: 10
Production: 9