Revolving around a diverse range of styles such as Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Atmospheric, Sludge and Doom Metal, the new EP by this Polish entity overflows sorrow, grief and heaviness.

Founded in the already distant year of 2008 in Bielsko-Biala, a city in southern Poland in the Cieszyn Silesia region, Post-Metal outfit Moanaa has been making a name for themselves in the underground scene with a consistent stream of high-quality albums, revolving around a diverse range of styles such as Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Atmospheric, Sludge and Doom Metal, always with a melancholic and psychedelic approach to obscure topics like personal struggles and depression, leading them to share the stage with renowned acts of the scene such as Blindead, Tides From Nebula, Jarboe, Nachtmystium and At The Soundawn. After the releases of their debut self-titled EP in 2010, followed by the full-length albums Descent, in 2014, and Passage, in 2016, it’s time for lead singer K-vass, guitarists Łukasz ‘cHooDy’ Kursa and Maciej Kosarz, bassist Łukasz Tomiczek and drummer Kamil Gębala to heighten our senses once again with their brand new EP Torches. Mixed and mastered by Haldor Grunberg (Satanic Audio) and featuring a somber artwork by Przemysław Duda (Pastor Graphics), Torches is a short and sweet display of what this Polish band is capable of, leaving you eager for more of their music after its 25 minutes of sorrow and grief are over.

Prepare you neck for a headbanging beast entitled Inflexion, with Kamil blasting sheer adrenaline and intricacy form his beats while K-vass exhales endless anguish and hatred from his raspy roars and the band’s stringed trio brings electricity and groove to their already dense musicality. Put differently, this is a beautiful and melancholic lesson in Post-Metal that will certainly please all fans of the genre. Then it’s time for their cover version for Placebo’s Without You I’m Nothing (take a listen at the original version HERE), featuring guest vocals by Polish singer and keyboardist Jakub Radomski, and let me tell you that Moanaa’s “extended” version of the song (around two minutes longer than the original one) begins in a charming and serene manner before it gradually evolves into a dark, more sinister sound led by the incendiary guitars by Łukasz ‘cHooDy’ Kursa and Maciej. And lastly, a tribal start warms up our senses for over 12 minutes of somber passages and Stygian notes in Red, with K-vass growling and screaming in a truly desperate and obscure way. Moreover, Kamil dictates the song’s lugubrious but fierce rhythm, exhaling progressiveness, obscurity and modernity, all united in sheer harmony, while Łukasz Tomiczek is vicious with his low-tuned bass, with the music flowing into an enfolding finale where K-vass’ clean vocals bring even more melancholy to the overall result.

The guys from Moanaa are eager to know your thoughts about their brand new EP Torches, and in order to do that simply go to their Facebook page and leave them a comment, like their page, check their tour dates and stay up-to-date about all things revolving around such interesting band hailing form Poland. Also, if Post-Metal is your cup of tea and you want to show your utmost support to the band, you can grab your copy of Torches from their BandCamp page or from Apple Music (without their cover for the song by Placebo, for a reason beyond my understanding). Post-Metal might not be among the easiest subgenres of heavy music to be listened to, but in the end that’s the beauty of it, and thanks to talented bands like Moanaa it’s a music style that’s growing and developing year after year, with Torches being indeed a very welcome addition to your collection of obscure and dense albums.

Best moments of the album: Inflexion.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2019 Independent

Track listing
1. Inflexion 7:00
2. Without You I’m Nothing (Placebo cover) 6:04
3. Red 12:39

Band members
K-vass – vocals
Łukasz ‘cHooDy’ Kursa – guitar
Maciej Kosarz – guitar
Łukasz Tomiczek – bass
Kamil Gębala – drums

Gueat musician
Jakub Radomski – vocals on “Without You I’m Nothing”