This debut album from Palms, the new project from members of post-metal band ISIS and Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno, is very difficult to pigeonhole. The fact that it cannot be nailed down to one genre is probably its biggest strength, unfortunately that makes it very hard to write about.
Palms is sort of like what you would get if a post-rock band covered stadium rock hits, drawing out words and phrases so they are no longer sing-a-long anthems but big sprawling monstrosities that are weird and unsettling as well as soaring and uplifting.
It is a loud album. The lyrics are howled and yelled into the swirling soundscapes, the instrumentation constantly trying to force it’s way forward, lunging for quicker paces, louder summits. Even the more restrained tracks feel unstable, bubbling under the surface with a violence, itching to spew forth.
Featuring members of ISIS and The Deftones, this isn’t usually the sort of music I find myself listening to. However, by whatever means, it has grabbed me and made me listen to it’s chaotic blend of intimacy and elemental force. Try it out.
The album is to be released on the 25th June on Ipecac Recordings.