Like most genres, the term “post-metal” is probably one that you would have trouble finding a unanimous consensus as to what it actually means. But if post-punk was a more melodic continuation of the punk ethic, and post-rock was an experiment that took rock beyond its traditional structures, I’m guessing that post-metal similarly takes its parent genre to more exploratory and adventurous heights. If that is the case, “Run Away” certainly fits such a description.
The smart thing about what Pascal Boyer does here is that he takes the essence of metal – its grandeur and anthemicism, power and punch – but rewires it using electronic sheens and ticking beats, as well as the more expected sounds. He is also a master of the dynamic rise and fall, at times dropping into almost ambient pastures, making the build back up to the song’s previous sonic highs via pulsing and propulsive bass runs, liquid sonics, drifting vocals, and hypnotic haze, even more beguiling.
Metal, like all music, should move with the times; it must move with the times. Evolution is the only way forward. “Run Away “is the sound of the genre doing precisely that. It is clear that Pascal Boyer knows the history of the music styles he works in, but this is the sound of someone less interested in where he has been and totally focused on where he is going. That’s how the future gets built!
