RLYR - Actual Existence
(The Flenser)

Y'all like riffs, with an even blend of pretty and beefy slathered all over? So do I, and I'm genuinely a fan of the music of RLYR (pronounced "relayer"). They’re a Chicago instrumental trio featuring guitarist Trevor Shelly de Brauw of Pelican. It's pretty apparent who's making the majority of riffs here, especially if you've listened to the last few Pelican full lengths. While still sounding familiar, I wouldn't quite call this just another Pelican clone. Stripping a lot of the melodramatics of post-rock / metal, the songs on Actual Existence chug along pretty steadily in a linear fashion. Lots of nice melodies and guitar effects are in effect plus simple steady drum beats and pulsing bass lines. What I found most surprising though was how much momentum the tracks had, even going into these almost black metal chord progressions and blast beats. They wisely chose to stay away from the beaten to death build-ups and minor key guitar weepings of post-rock for a sound that is much more energetic and fresh. RLYR are really taking hold of their own voice on this album, and I'm pretty excited to hear what they do next. (VII)
Check out a track here.