If album opener, “Azure” suggests an album of dark, alt-folk instrumentation and gothic shade, at least to begin with, the explosive rock instrumental section, as the song heads for its final destination, informs the listener that Wingspan is going to be an album of extremes, one of sonic crescendoes and lulling lows, grace and groove, melody and muscle.
And indeed, “I Wanna Leave,” which follows, plunges us deep into brooding alt-rock territory and between this opening brace of sonic salvos, Hana Piranha has displayed the breathtaking breadth of the musical spectrum they work with. Impressive, to say the least.
From here they lay out a stall that blends these extremes, running from punchy, impactful, and intense rock to more considered folk delicacy and classical grandeur, not just from song to song but even within the same track. And then there are songs such as “The Devil Always Pulls Through, “which is neither, rather an understated ballad, woven of mournful violins and ticking percussion which slow-burns its way towards an epic finish, passing through sonic weight, anthemic vibes and sky-searing musical highs before it is done.
“Hurt The Ones You Love” starts in almost pop territory, understated, chiming, and accessible, despite its complex sentiments, before subsuming that minimalism in swathes of squalling guitars and punctuating drums, building atmospherics and creating anticipation. If “Black Horse” sounds like rock music looking for, and indeed finding, a new sound for the genre, one that will help it move into the future and evolve the genre, the title track, which rounds things off, shows that they are just as at home with a slice of fairly familiar, heads-down-no-nonsense-foot-on-the-monitor-rock and roll too.
Wingspan is an eclectic album. Not in the sense of being unfocused or scatter-gunned; it is the sound of a rock band looking for the new path that rock music might take to ensure its survival. On this album, they have found about half a dozen viable routes to that bright new horizon. We need more bands to be this adventurous, this brave, this brilliant!
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