Instrumental Post-Metal Band The Endless to Release Self-Titled Debut Album

Sometimes, you don't need words. They can be downright superfluous, especially when your music does the talking on its own. This concept is proven by Edmonton, Alberta's heavy instrumental band The Endless, who is set to release their self-titled debut album on January 23, 2024. 

About the Band

The Endless got their start in 2017 when drummer Jarred Muir and guitarist Terry Palmer began working on several songs, developing a foundation for the album. They were later joined by guitarist Eddy Keyes, also of AIWASS and LOTOC (Lords of the Opium Church), who helped build this foundation into a more complete structure. After playing their first shows in 2019, the pandemic forced the band into a hiatus. However, after bassist James Palmer joined the fold in 2022, The Endless confidently returned to the stage the following year, delivering a sold out performance while utilizing a more refined technique. Following this success, the band found themselves in the studio, where the recording process started for their official debut release. 

 

The Endless provides epic post-metal instrumentals influenced by bands such as Russian Circles, Pelican, Humanfly, Deafheaven, Amenra, Mastadon, Messa, ISIS (the band), and Tool. Their genre-defying music has the intensity of metal, but the atmospheric depth of post rock, creating impressive musical landscapes. 

The Album

The Endless' self-titled debut features five songs and about forty minutes of runtime:

1. The Hadean Eon: This track starts the album off in a big way with some booming drums and guitar that is blistering, wailing, and quite technical. As it turns out, this will set the tone for the rest of the album. The band makes excellent use of building in this song; a turbulent middle section leads into an airy and cautiously optimistic break, finishing with a triumphant ending. 
2. Riven: This one is very "metal", where crunchier guitar teams up with its brighter and more complex counterpart, along with some heavy percussion. With all this heaviness, the song still manages to wind down and end on a mellow, peaceful, and altogether lovely note. 
3. Shadows/Wolves: The guitar in this song does a great job of creating and maintaining momentum, steadily elaborating upon a riff before dropping the listener off at the slower, "shadowy" midsection of the track. From here, we prepare to be propelled again into the latter part of the song, which gives us a bit of both worlds: the dark and the light, as if fighting each other for control. 
4. Reflection: As its title alludes to, the instrumentals in this song certainly give off a pensive, introspective feel. I also sense a bit of conflict here, as if the subject is at odds with himself mentally, unsure but mentally fortified, prepared for the process.  
5. Future Archives: In this song, the bass is much more visible, providing some good variety for the album and doing a great job of showcasing the musician. This track starts off much slower but ends in a very big and cool way, really flooring me with the incredible musicianship of The Endless. 

Final Thoughts

As I said, sometimes you just don't need words. 

As a music fan, I've recently been giving instrumental rock /metal music a chance for the first time in my life. And, the more I listen to it, the more I realize that you really can express emotions and tell a story with instruments alone; rock instruments, nonetheless. What baffles and impresses me most is the skill that it must require to do this, not to mention what must go into the planning and writing process. I'm not a musician myself (I tried to play bass for several years...that didn't go so well), but I can't express how much I marvel at and admire the skill these musicians possess. 

Check It Out!

Don't miss The Endless' self-titled debut album, dropping on all major streaming platforms on January 23, 2024. The Endless is planning an album release party on February 3, 2024 at the Aviary in Edmonton. 

You can also show the band some love by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

If you like The Endless, be sure to check out the stoney instrumental stylings of Wasteland Haze!