When music has the ability to make you feel, you know it’s going to be great. Greatness is what Red Room Cinema achieves with the instrumental post-rock sounds on Apsis. The band consists of Anthony Maltese on guitar, Brian Burleson on bass and Brian Steele on the guitar and keys. The first installments under Apsis: I, II, III, and IV, act as one song. They flow into each other with such ease that you don’t even notice it at first.
The first Apsis, I. “Yoizuki,” is a short intro. You get a small taste of their ambient, space-like music. The song is a little over one minute, but it transitions into Apsis “The Observatory” without any trouble. The wave of emotions is inevitable as the music takes over your thoughts.
On to the third Apsis, “We Raise Our Eyes Between The Walls Of Glass And Steel,” you get a sense of hope. This welcomed feeling of optimism overcomes you, and yet you have no idea why. Music has this funny way of changing your mood. The song slows to a pause, and it changes over to the fourth Apsis, “A Storm Of Meteorites.” The song is almost 11 minutes long, but it doesn’t drag on like some other instrumental songs tend to do.
Track five, “White Arrows,” is extremely mellow in the beginning. As the nine-minute song plays on, there’s this powerful build of tension due to the quickening pace of the guitar and drums. The lull in the middle is a nice touch, serving its purpose to further engage the listener. The closing song, “Shadows Of A Forgotten City” is a fast-paced post-rock jam.
Have you ever heard a song that has awful lyrics and great music, and you wished the circumstances were different? This entire album is fine the way it is; without lyrics. Some instrumental bands don’t have enough life in their music, but this group has plenty. Evoking emotion with instrumental music isn’t an easy task, but these gentlemen do it well.
In A Word: Emotional
