Telepathy – Burn Embrace (Svart Records)

Thursday, 2nd April 2020
Rating: 7.5/10

“Cinematic sludge” is definitely one of the more creative descriptors this scribe has seen in a while, but one that’s certainly fitting for UK act Telepathy. Bridging sludge, post-metal, and doom into a mostly instrumental atmosphere is what the band does, and the way that things are positioned, it does give the notions of a more grand and cinematic vibe.

Burn Embrace is no doubt a heavy record, but it’s one that you can sit with introspectively. The mostly instrumental (there are some vocals towards the end of the record, but nothing too distracting from the vibe) mood is one that feels a little bit gloomy and has a great sense of longing in some tracks. Opening number “Eternal Silence” nails the landing here, with moments of quiet reflection being countered with more intense, almost post-black metal vibes that create a more ominous setting. It’s the contrasts here that allow the tracks to successfully stick around for 7 or 8-minutes without them becoming too boring or one-dimensional. With tracks on the shorter side, “Aonaran” oozes with a sludgy, doomy feeling to it but the urgency of the riffing is what really gives it a more cinematic scope and “Pariah” has a welcome sense of stomp to it without altering the bleak atmosphere. The last two tracks start to employ a few vocals, and the screams and cleans on “Sorrow Surrenders its Crown” feel like a fitting climax to it. Likewise, the short title track closes things up with a somber, quiet tone with some suitable clean singing that does fit the mood well.

Even with the cinematic flair at hand, Burn Embrace is going to be one of those albums that require the listener to be in a certain mood to really accept it. It does its job well in conveying a sense of compelling emotions to the listener, provided you are up for a more introspective journey.

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