by Nathan Cardiff

An epic force of guitars pierce even the strongest armor on “The Pattern,” the first track from Heartscape Landbreak’s Practitioners of Light. It’s a song filled with such an awesome weight of emotion that it can crush everything in its path. Taylor Holenbeck’s cool voice seems to be the only element that will soften the blow; he’s here to protect us from the powerful fury the instruments contain. The slow-burn song begins with him battling with the lone guitar till it builds beyond comprehension. A bone-shattering sound, but that’s only the music. Holenbeck’s lyrics somehow are just as dangerous: “But I forget/How it feels to regret…” If we all could be so lucky.

Practitioners of Light has a balance of experimental and progressive rock; unafraid to be strange and heavy. The excellent “God Money Problems” has a spoken recording about getting rid of negativity much like the sun rids us of darkness. It’s lovely and affirming, then Holenbeck sings about the dark in someone’s eye pulling him in. The comparison is unique and captivating. After the two five minute openers, the grandiose “Hawk to the Wind” with its squealing guitar and sporadic drums lets Holenbeck tell his tale with all the time in the world. It borders on ambient till it hits the four and half minute mark and the pace picks up; a gorgeous sound much like the nature he describes. A fresh and crisp colossus to be admired. The timing and beauty in the lyric “And I turn to you love/Like a hawk to the wind” is overwhelming in its enormity.

With a dreamy interlude (“My Sun, My Sun”) before it, “Helios” unleashes the wild, raucous side of Heartscape. A blast of intensity to transition into the latter half of the record. “Burn The Dark” lets Holenbeck howl over the savage track; the sheer might of the song is a triumph in composition. I love the juxtaposition of “Helios” and “Burn The Dark” as well; the obvious difference in their pacing, but a great match with their solid rhythm. Weird partners that have found each other in the journey of the album.

Another interlude (“He Is Not Your Faun”) brings us to the end of the record and the marching “Absence of Day.” The conclusion detonates into a massive noise, the ringing trails into the darkness it has battled all this time. Heartscape Landbreak has created a terrific album with an inner conflict of light and dark, night and day. An experiment in which love and courage are brought to us, forcing is to choose to what we’ll do and how we react to these elements. A haunting symphony of loveliness. A brutal beauty.

Favorite Tracks: “The Pattern,” “Hawk to the Wind,” “Helios,” & “Absence of Day”

by Nathan Cardiff

Editor’s Note: You can catch Heartscape Landbreak at the Replay this Sunday, August 4th.

Here’s a video of Heartscape Landbreak performing “Helios” on Halloween last year: