Album Review: 65daysofstatic

An album that makes the absolute most of the conventions of its genre, 'Wild Light' is simply beautiful.

Utilising fantastic melodic and harmonic ideas coupled with excellent production, 65daysofstatic's fifth studio album is both an outstanding record and a superb form of stress relief. This duality provides for a consistent listening experience.

'Wild Light' kicks off in a good way, gradually building layer upon layer of synths, percussion and finally guitars, ending in a huge climax that paves the way for the rest of the album. It only gets better and better from there, launching into a powerful journey through each track, seamlessly shifting from techno beats to piano-driven melodies and heavily distorted guitar sections. As an instrumental band, 65sdaysofstatic does a magnificent job of holding the listener's attention without the need for a vocalist.

The amount of work that has gone into this record is impressive; any track would be completely at home on a major film soundtrack (so it's no surprise that they've already recorded one). It's also well worth mentioning the band members' performances on their instruments. While not always flashy or overly technical, each part is pulled off with expert precision and it really contributes to the resulting sound, which is at its best during symphonic, 80s-synth-and-guitar-heavy moments.

From the opening notes of 'Heat Death Infinity Splitter' to the concluding passages of 'Artismal', 'Wild Light' proves itself to be a solid album.

65daysofstatic have produced an excellent album with 'Wild Light', showing their masterful execution across a large range of atmospheric settings. Their ability to evoke strong, emotional imagery without the use of vocals is commendable to say the least, making an impact through melody, harmony and rhythm as opposed to lyrics.

1. Heat Death Infinity Splitter

2. Prisms

3. The Undertow

4. Black Spots

5. Sleepwalk City

6. Taipei

7. Unmake the Wild Light

8. Safe Passage

9. Destructivist

10. Artismal