“Broken glass, fractured light, pull me closer, make me fight.”
Matador’s new album is a demonstration of how far they have come since 2019. On their instrumental debut They Were Here Before Us, they established their sound as a tried and tested combination of doom and post metal. ‘Atmosdoom’, as they put it – you could also say it was ‘destined for Desertfest’, at least, if their hometown of Vancouver could ever host one. Landing between the brightness of Causa Sui and darkness of Bongripper, it was the type of release that showed promise but suggested they still had some work to do.
Sure enough, Matador truly blossomed on the follow-up EP, The Surge, utterly cracking the formula for writing engrossing instrumentals. It clearly defines the idea of a power-trio with disciplined and detailed use of bass, guitar and drums, whilst creating an enthralling soundscape and rocking out very, very hard in it. If any element can be highlighted, it’s got to be Scott Stronach’s drums, finding inventive ways to create his own riffs and make every fill delicious.
In search of something new to conquer, Matador have moved overseas from Canada to the UK and found something new to plug in – a microphone. Who knows exactly why frontman James Kirk has thus far declined to sing on Matador’s material, as opener “The House Always Wins” knocks down the barn doors with the one-two punch of hefty guitars with those essential doom metal clean vocals. By the fourth line he lets out a fry scream, and he continues to light the sky with vicious lines across the track (“Hell is for heroes, your church is for sinners”). The instrumentals haven’t lost any of their magic touch, with all the grooves landing straight in the pocket.
“The House Always Wins” is stellar but the crown of Matador’s discography is now “Glitter Skin”. The bass commands the introduction whilst guitar dives and croons. The way is cleared for a passage of subdued, yet urgent clean guitar, with vocals that whisper in tongues as if it was a feature from Maynard James Keenan. We’re held in this suspended animation, anticipating a climax, and when it comes it’s utterly euphoric. The vocals trade off between harsh and cleans whilst the riffs cycle and churn in pure satisfaction, finishing with a purely instrumental stretch that feels like a victory lap.
Even when they do stick to their instrumental roots, Matador are ready to remind us why they’re a force of nature. After you’ve heard it once, it won’t take long for the ‘post’-inclined riffs of “The Flood” to come rushing back from your memory. All the patterns descend from the primordial soup of post-doom metal riffing, yet Matador’s execution here feels so timeless and memorable. The track’s story is instead communicated through a sample, something the band have also held back from until Above, Below and So.
Side two of the record bears many fruits. The interlude “O Suna” is no slouch, placed as an introduction of sorts for the ten minute “A Virus”, but it might well be a tantalizing way to open their upcoming live sets, too. Everything Matador does feels (at least) epic in its stature, so the track lengths are not of much of a signal, but this duo of tracks is extremely formidable. “A Virus” is the most atmospheric cut of the record, navigating dark waters with sparing use of vocals. The band is very much not on ‘automatic’ though, with Stronach’s drums once again finding unique patterns in the quiet parts without the sense that he’s flexing at all. The record has an unexpected ending as “Hooks” provides biting riffs, powerful shouts, and closes on a knife edge.
Why is it that we sing? The real answer to that question is best left to historians, anthropologists, or perhaps poets, but when you’re in a post-doom band, the answer is much simpler. You only add those vocals if you’re sure you have successfully found your execution on all the other important fronts: a perennial atmosphere, memorable structure, and riffy satisfaction. Like ISIS, Windhand, Elder, and countless other heavy bands that are highly selective with their use of vocals, Matador’s mastery of their craft and careful approach to singing makes them all the more compelling.
8/10
Above, Below and So releases on the 27th February through Church Road Records and can be pre-ordered here.