Band: The Color of Cyan; Musicians: Eduardo Cintron: Guitars; Henry Cole: Drums; Jorge Santana: Bass; and Rene Torres: Violin
Album: ‘Agape;’ Released: December 1, 2021 on Guideline Records; Producer: Eduardo Cintron; Recorded at: DFS (Chicago, IL), El Padrino (San Juan, PR), Xtone Recording Studios (Apple Valley, CA) and Electrical Audio (Chicago, IL); Mixed by: Greg Norman; Mastered by: Bob Weston
People around the world embark on similar emotional journeys and endure comparable milestones throughout their lives, even though those moments are unique to every person. The post-rock-metal band, The Color of Cyan is emphasizing how overall, COVID-19 is unifying the world, despite the different ways people are reacting to the pandemic, on its recently released first album, ‘Agape,’ which is driven by ambient-shoegaze beats.
The Chicago-based quartet’s new nine-track instrumental record features an intense and atmospheric, multi-layered instrumental sound. Inspired by such rock groups as Sigur-Ros, God Speed You Black Emperor and Tool, and contemporary classical composers like Arvo Part and Max Richter, The Color of Cyans’ latest collection of songs steadily builds in emotional impact.
‘Agape’ begins with the luminous entry, ‘Inception,’ which introduces the band’s signature emerging sound of shimmering orchestral sonic waves. The tune’s chords are driven by a warm bass undertone, which supports the booming upper strings. The song begins slowly but gradually eases into an epic, mesmerizing mixture of immersed instrumentals. The calming, spiritual tune sets the mood for the rest of the album.
‘Inception’ than transitions into the record’s textured sophomore track, ‘Summer Days,’ which is driven by slow crescendos that help create a funky, interstellar-oriented form of chamber music. The song features a somber, unique blend of low string notes from violinist Rene Torres and distorted, tremulous electric guitar riffs that slowly cascade together, which are supported by fairly pronounced drum beats from drummer Henry Cole. While the tune opens on a relaxing, sentimental and ambient note, it effortlessly showcases The Color of Cyan’s versatility, as it eases into a grittier post-metal-rock vibe about half-way through its epic six-and-a-half minute runtime.
The quartet continues to prove its versatility with the middle entry on its new album, ‘Moon in Cancer.’ The fifth song features a heavy rock sensibility, especially on its guitars and melody. The change in musicality takes The Color of Cyan’s new musical collection on a different journey that emphasizes how quickly and completely a group’s journey can change, depending on its environment.
‘Agape’ begins to wind down with its eighth entry, the record’s titular track. The penultimate tune takes listeners on an epic eight-minute journey through The Color of Cyan’s musical inclination and interests in such distinct musical genres as shoegaze, jazz, atmospheric and metal. Despite the wide range of musical genres, the song is driven by a sense of melancholy that inspires listeners to reflect on their past as they move forward.
The group’s new album comes to a close with the emotive, confident entry, ‘We Will Rise,’ which inspires its listeners to rise up in any obstacle they face. Continuing the sense of melancholy that began in ‘Agape’s preceding track, the concluding tune emphasizes personal growth as people contend with their past while also embracing what life has in store for them next. The song would serve as the perfect score for a sentimental movie’s emotional ending sequence, which features the characters reflecting on their lives while they also embrace their future.
The Color of Cyan created a stellar collection of tracks that seamlessly merges elements of cinematic post-rock, ambient, jazz, shoegaze and metal orchestral arrangements on ‘Agape.’ The record emphasizes how such a tragic event as the COVID-19 pandemic is unifying the world, despite people’s differences in opinions, through emotional sonic waves and an epic, mesmerizing mixture of immersed instrumentals.
For more information on The Color of Cyan, visit its official website , as well as its Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram pages.
