AlbumsNovember 29, 201111,163 views

Supercontinent Vaalbara


Vaalbara
01. Nebula 02. Earthrise 03. Lakes of Iron 04. Cataclysms 05. Rain Gives Rise 06. In Rust 07. The Monolith 08. Impact Winter 09. Epoch
2008 Saw Her Ghost Records
Our score 8

by Nick
1/28/2009

To say that Michigan's Supercontinent is taking an overly unique approach to their vein of music would hold about as much truth as the majority of all marketing campaigns found on black stickers on the front of metal CDs everywhere. "An apocalyptic ambush of broadsword fueled destruction." "A disemboweled adventure of imploding darkness." "A prehistoric maelstrom of suicidal gyroscopes." Let's face it: very few bands even come close to branding a new style of hyperbole-worthy heavy music, especially within the Neurosis/Isis spin-off circle that Supercontinent has arrived at so fashionably late. But luckily for these dudes, they've distinguished themselves by excelling in one fundamental area that so many of these so-called "post-metal" groups have appeared to overlook: riffs. This feat is the result of Supercontinent drawing influences from the likes of Crowbar, Baroness, Floor/Torche, and Mastodon. So while other peers in the genre are trying to pass off down-tuned Explosions in the Sky records as "metal," Supercontinent succeeds by unapologetically borrowing elements from the aforementioned bands to create sixty minutes of massive sludge-driven riffs, meticulously planned three part guitar harmonies, and throaty low-end. And with Pig Destroyer's Scott Hull at the helm of the mastering process, you can rest assured that it sounds monstrous. "Cataclysms" shines with its ability to fluidly bridge the gaps between an opening period of huge, off-kilter riffing, an expansive section of slow-moving chord progressions carried by Matt Gauntlett's impressively gruff vocal delivery, and a more up-tempo, hardcore-influenced midsection. "Lakes of Iron" provides rounds of thick, perfectly layered guitar hooks before delivering what many current sludge/doom bands have mistakenly avoided: a minute long Alabama Thunderpussy-type guitar solo. If you're going to draw upon a healthy serving of the South's major metal acts, it sure as hell doesn't hurt to have a raise-your-half-empty-bottle-of-JD-in-the-air moment. "Impact Winter" features the disc's only major lull, a well-placed period of bare guitar work, but immediately locks into gear for one of Vaalbara's most explosive moments and continues to pummel with some heavy doses of remarkably beastly drum fills. Supercontinent never intended to break the mold with this record. But in the process of paying homage to a lot of exemplary metal acts, they've created a record that is impossible to miss in the demographic of fans of big fucking riffs. Perhaps the only drawback to Vaalbara is the disc's timing. Further lyrical inspection reveals passages detailing the primitive days of Earth (geological buffs will tell you that Vaalbara was the name of the planet's first supercontinent, thus explaining the band/record name combination). But all of this sounds a little too familiar; probably because The Ocean just released their Earth-themed metallic masterpiece under a year ago. So it's unfortunate that Supercontinent had a lot of conceptual wind knocked out of Vaalbara before it was ever released, but most listeners should be willing to overlook this snag in favor of the record's effortless delivery of some flat out stellar riffs. And if you're like me, lyrics barely matter in the first place. Just riffs. Bottom Line: If this was a music-oriented psychology quiz there would be one relevant question for determining interest in Supercontinent: Do you like riffs More accurate sub-questions would probe the listener's love of bands like Baroness, Torche, Mastodon, etc., as Vaalbara clearly displays the Supercontinent's fondness for all of the above. This is worth checking out.

33 comments

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wieners for hair_ 1/28/2009 4:07:29 PM

will get because of my love of geo science

jjjjjjjjjjjjjj_ 1/28/2009 4:07:42 PM

first.

anonymous 1/28/2009 4:20:56 PM

tlnr heard they broke up already

anonymous 1/28/2009 7:10:55 PM

So many good riffs in one place

justinbean_ 1/28/2009 8:08:05 PM

its true, we broke up.

johnhein_ 1/28/2009 8:37:02 PM

accurate. great dudes.

cantfakethepunk_ 1/28/2009 9:26:03 PM

album isn't good enough for my gay ass. come along dwayne!

sacha from intronaut_ 1/28/2009 10:47:35 PM

f*ck this band. Met the guitarist and he's a dck

zack_ 1/29/2009 1:14:33 AM

this band just broke up like last week

chaosweaver_ 1/29/2009 2:03:36 AM

If the production is so good why are the vocals inaudible?

xote_ 1/29/2009 2:19:03 AM

Havent heard this yet but Saw Her Ghost puts out good shit.

anonymous 1/29/2009 9:49:03 AM

Awesome album. Too soon for a reuniion?

cantfakethepunk_ 1/29/2009 10:55:00 AM

i love to suck c-ck

anonymous 1/29/2009 3:33:22 PM

Whoever made the DWAYNE gimmick on the messageboard. You've tarnished my review gimmick, suck all the dcks you f*cking gay.

DWAYNE_ 1/29/2009 4:25:19 PM

DONT BE ASS HURT, YOU CAN GET f*ckED UP YOUR LOVE HOLE TOO BIG DADDY

DWAYNE_ 1/29/2009 5:10:56 PM

NAH BETCH f*ck YO TRICK AZZ DIS DA REAL DWAYNE, GUMPASS POSIN' BETCH

cantfakethepunk_ 1/29/2009 5:30:00 PM

you both are just gay for each other and should f*ck. i also suck dck

tower_ 1/30/2009 2:35:59 PM

Havent heard this yet but Saw Her Ghost puts out good shit. posted by xote () on 1/29/2009 2:19:03 AM

cantfakethepunk_ 1/30/2009 6:16:24 PM

this is a good album to use as a backdrop, while i suck on Dwaynes chocolate stick of love.

cantfakethepunk_ 1/31/2009 4:12:49 AM

I will also take an extra dck in my ear

DaveClinch_ 1/31/2009 11:22:12 AM

This album is amazing. 9/10

cantfakethepunk_ 1/31/2009 8:09:08 PM

you know what else is great? Dwaynes big, throbbing stick of love in my ass.

Godfather_ 2/2/2009 4:18:03 PM

Holy god no... predictable, doesn't even deserve a 5.

Godfather_ 2/2/2009 8:21:52 PM

Such abysmal shit such as myself. Boring stuff *sucks a dck*

patton oswalt_ 2/3/2009 3:50:38 AM

sprinkle some fries on those CUHHHP-CAKES

Justin Continent_ 2/3/2009 5:15:06 AM

You f*cking shithead. You don't know the first thing about comedy; we put a lot of yuks into this CD, and it's one of the funniest releases of the year. We better not catch you around at any shows, because if my troupe sees you, you'll wish you never got out of bed that day. Oh, and to everyone who actually CARES about this record, listen up! Thanks to everybody who bought it already but for those who have not been able to find it, try TARGET, yes TARGET is stocking it for ONLY $6.99 and you get

anonymous 2/3/2009 7:38:21 PM

^^^^ so lame. that was VERY ORIGINAL. that gimmick always sucked

justinbean_ 2/3/2009 9:39:39 PM

i'm not nearly that clever. jokebreed is pure gold.

Patton Oswalt_ 2/4/2009 12:12:57 AM

Character actors. Who gives a f*ck if we're fat?

patton oswalt_ 2/4/2009 9:41:32 AM

i'm havin' a party you CAN'T SEEEEEEEE

anonymous 2/13/2009 11:07:47 AM

/\/\ SHUT THE f*ck UP gay AND KEEP DRINKING stuff AND GET OFF MY SITE

patton oswalt_ 2/13/2009 2:26:44 PM

every night, our coffee-rubbed kobe beef is read "are you my mother?" by a guatemalan child.

anonymous 3/9/2009 11:54:53 PM

these guys are phenomenal.