Review Summary: I think they like George McGovern.
Arroyo means brook in Spanish. It also sounds like a company that would manufacture rice or something of the like.
However, this Arroyo is not Spanish, nor is this Arroyo a rice manufacturing company. This Arroyo is a post-hardcore/post-rock band hailing from Germany. Their songs consist of long and lush instrumental intros, occasional voice samples, and intense screaming. It is hard to categorize them, as they could be among the genres of post-rock, post-hardcore, or even some style of screamo. However, undefinable bands are usually the best because of how they tend to set out on their own careening journeys. Arroyo happens to be one of those somewhat undefinable bands.
This small EP contains only two songs. However, each song is over ten minutes long. In fact, the intro track," Paranorm" comes in at a whopping sixteen minutes and twenty one seconds. Due to this fact,
Individuum & Massen hits the thirty minute mark, which is quite impressive for an EP containing only two songs. Of course, if one is not used to long-winded tracks, they may initially fear that this EP will be sluggish and boring. However, Arroyo manages to tie everything in their songs together efficiently and effectively. This small release does not contain a single second of waste. Every moment has a sense of meaning, every single moment, even the last second.
Individuum & Massen opens up with," Paranorm." This track contains a six minute long voice sample from a political speech about a politician known as George McGovern. It goes on and on about how great George McGovern is, and how great he would be as president in place of JFK. Under the voice of the political speaker, subtle electric guitars pluck away and crisp drum beats keep the rhythm. Of course, as is the case in most post-rock songs, the instruments layer and build. Eventually, they hit the climax at the end of the speech and break down, only to lead up to the vocalist's introduction. He screams in German, rendering the lyrics indiscernible. However, he sounds so good. The last eight minutes of the song are made up of this screaming and the instrumentalists' post-rock riffs. "Paranorm" then closes.
Closing the album is:" Kanaan." It lacks the long voice sample, but it is not absent of one. For a few minutes an unknown, and unintelligible voice sample comes in. The content of this short voice sample remains unknown, but it adds an interesting element to the song. The formula that was present in " Paranorm" is somewhat lost in this song. This is not a bad thing, of course, as it adds variety. After a purely instrumental opening, the guitars switch from a sweet, resonating sound, to crushing power chords. Accompanying this sudden shift in the song's focus are a short burst of screams emitted by the vocalist. The vocalist then speaks in a muted tone, and the resonating guitars make themselves known again. Silence ensues, and then the band hits full throttle. Screaming, heavy drumming, crashing cymbals, massive guitar walls, and spoken vocals. This is Arroyo in full force. It is absolutely beautiful, it is one of the greatest climaxes that I have ever heard in a song. Slowly, the song breaks down, the vocalist speaks a few half-yelled verses and a long, gorgeous, post-rock outro takes the last seven minutes of the EP to its silent close.
This small EP is one of the most incredible entries in music that I have heard for quite a long time. Check these German musicians out, it is far beyond worth it. This is a work of art.
