Noise-A-Tron- Vast Arcane Review

May 1, 2015 - featured, headlines, reviews

By Brian Kim

Worshippers of dark monolithic doom and drone rejoice, Seattle’s own Noise-A-Tron have summoned a monstrous aural assault with their new record Vast Arcane, which expertly stretches and smashes together elements of noise-rock, post-rock, sludge metal, and drone.

Vast Arcane begins with an ominous yet alluring track, aptly titled “Intro”. Layers of pulsating synth fade in like cosmos in the night sky as the sun sinks into the earth, settling slowly before an intensely restrained drum beat pounds into the scene, deftly setting the nebulous arrangement into steadfast motion. An ocean of frequencies calmly ebbs and flows and builds tension until finally exploding into the crushing beginning of next track, “Six”.

Comprised of seasoned musician power-couple Jason and Lea Bledsoe, Noise-A-Tron have developed a unique and powerful chemistry between Jason’s intense and powerful drumming and Lea’s orchestra of bass, synths, and samples. Even without vocals, this two-piece creates an impressively expansive wall of sound, conjuring sonic journeys that entrance the listener through the abrasive and the melodic, through calm and through fury. This almost cinematic style of song-writing is perfectly demonstrated over the course of the five tracks on Vast Arcane.

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Robert Cheek (Deftones, Tera Melos, Chelsea Wolfe), Vast Arcane also just sounds amazing. The drums sound enormous and clear. The bass is beautifully gritty and heavy. The layers of synth have incredible depth and flow seamlessly through the mix. Everything ties together perfectly, at times seemingly taking up every frequency possible.

Vast Arcane is out now on 12” vinyl and digital download via Bleeding Light Records, with amazing artwork done by Broken Press. Order it online at the Bleeding Light webstore (http://bleedinglightrecords.bigcartel.com/artist/noise-a-tron) or pick up a copy at the Black Lodge May 2nd for the record release show with He Whose Ox Is Gored, Prizehog, and The Great Goddamn. Or, find them on their upcoming tour dates listed below.