Although most of the bands that devote themselves to it are normally in possession of good technique and appreciable compositional skills, post-metal is not always able to move the listener emotionally, sometimes turning out to be didactic and paradoxically tied to predefined patterns, going against the very idea that gave birth to this particular mixture of sub-genres. All this does not happen fortunately to the Chilean Luxferre, authors with Faces of one of the best albums of recent times, thanks to an approach in which each component is exhibited with all its chrisms. The band from Santiago first appeared with a self-titled demo in 2017 but it took another five years and a conspicuous line-up reshuffle to reach the goal of the full length, victoriously cut based on the value of the four long tracks on offer. The opening track Unconformity enchants with its melodic intensity, while a greater harshness characterises the following Voices; the doom-oriented At the Awakening is a true marvel, initially punctuated by penetrating keyboard work and also featuring the participation on vocals of Juan Escobar, one of the leading names on the Chilean scene, while the dreamy About Loss and Hope seals the work in the best possible way. Other musicians offer their contribution as guests, giving further variety and depth to the proposal of the band led by guitarist and singer Julio Leiva, author of a test behind the microphone of great substance. The sense of anxiety and frustration capable, however, of breaking its chains and opening up glimpses of hope, typical of post-metal, finds its masterful exemplification in Faces, an album that in a meritocratic world should elevate Luxferre to the highest levels of the sub-genre hierarchy.
2022 – Dissenso Records
Mournful Sounds 