Peripeteia

Rafael Anton Irisarris albums often seem to channel the energy of a thunderstorm: theyre heavy, gray, and gloomy, yet ultimately replenishing, and can be downright rapturous, depending on the circumstances. Peripeteia continues in the vein of past triumphs like A Fragile Geography and Solastalgia, but its bolder and more immediate, pulling frayed melodies closer into focus, and revealing darker emotional depths. His compositions flow in vast, sorrowful waves, slowly stirring and gathering distortion until the listener is engulfed. The rustling, trembling Mellified is one of the albums harsher pieces, particularly due to its smoldering doom metal bass. Arduous Clarity is more heavenly, with gleaming synth melodies attempting to escape the all-consuming wash. Yearn is propelled by a simple, steady bassline, which echoing guitars dance around until theyre swept away by the tide. Perhaps most devastating is Fright and Control, which opens like one of Burials rain-drenched ambient soundscapes, with decayed bass gradually giving way to corroded trance synths. Vanishing Points, the eight-minute conclusion, feels relatively calm and resolved, as if the storm has nearly passed, but theres still a lingering sense of uncertainty to it, combined with a feeling of acceptance that the world has changed and theres no choice but to start anew. ~ Paul Simpson