Grails
Chalice Hymnal
(Temporary Residence)
Grails made its musical entry wound in my recent discovery of Decline Of The West Vol I & II passion project for the mercurial Emil Amos, the former band’s drummer.
Also the percussionist for heavy music purveyors, Om, Amos’ instrumental, exploratory arm quickly became a favorite on heavy rotation. Their 2011 classic Deep Politics turned on bawdy, no holds barred instrumentation that said a whole hell of a lot without saying, well, anything. Grails has been recording music for quite a long time, band members coming together from a diverse series of projects to put out boundary challenging cinematic tunes since The Burden Of Hope in 2004.
On this full length album, Chalice Hymnal, we find the band a full four years since re-releasing Black Tar Prophecies Vols 4, 5 & 6 and six since Deep Politics, each of which is a considerable hiatus. Where they’ve settled in to place this collection of songs is in a similar scene, layered instrumentation, unconventionally heavy solos and satisfying rhythms. Many times throughout their discography, Grails comes across as a band of metal musicians whose challenge is to take off the black mask and play acoustic and this travels there too. On “New Prague” the guitars channel Black Sabbath with deep, labyrinthine riffs steeped in chaos and on “Thorns II” a daunting acoustic number, it’s Amos’ always tight percussion that drive’s the song’s motor. On one hand Chalice Hymnal is Grails’ most restrained effort, but it gets there without easing up. The title track/opener is so smooth and rolling that is exhibits a rare crossover appeal, setting the scene for a getaway drive in the next Netflix mega-thriller-hit. Most of the songs on the album are fairly short, at least shorter than the band has traditionally recorded, in the three-minute range with an exception in “After The Funeral” the spacious, ten minute closer uses a series of mournful, middle-Eastern strings and gentle keys. And if that track isn’t enough to brand Chalice Hymnal as a gratifying journey the track, “Rebecca” is warm, emotionally connective and evocative of bright, sensual heights.
For a band whose career arc has already encompassed staggering diversity, ornate experimentation as well as gritty depths, to say that Chalice Hymnal rises above means quite a lot. This is that record though, affirming, worthy of the time, challenging. And if you’re not careful, a terribly satisfying listen the way progressive rock rarely rises to.
