If you're the sort of person who just can't get enough of spacey progressive rock, Greylevel's latest outing is bound to leave you amazed. Hypostatic Union is the second album from this Canadian quintet, and its dreamy blend of modern progressive rock and psychedelic textures have left me impressed since my first listen. As one of the few albums that manages to be both initially pleasing and increasingly enjoyable over the course of each successive listen, Hypostatic Union's lengthy and haunting compositions are inescapably memorable and intriguing, and every new listen opens up a whole new door of exploration into the wonderful sounds that Greylevel have packaged together. Greylevel may be occasionally labeled as a Porcupine Tree clone, but when the quality of the music is this high, there's little for me to complain about.
I will say from the get-go that even though Greylevel clearly have a strong influence from Porcupine Tree's early output, they don't come across as a clone on Hypostatic Union. The spacey Pink Floyd-influenced atmospheres and pitch-perfect production bring a Steven Wilson project to mind, but Greylevel do have a unique sense of direction and originality with this effort. Regardless of whether or not Greylevel can be labeled as a "clone", the music is so good that this shouldn't be a hindrance to any listener. Greylevel knows how to write damn good progressive rock, and all of the eight songs here are equally impressive. Even though its duration is nearly seventy minutes long, it doesn't lose any steam by the end of the record. My personal favorite track is highly emotional "Terminal" - the flow on this track is simply unbelievable, and the mood changes always keep the listener on their toes. The dreamy keyboard atmospheres and melancholic vocals throughout the entire album immediately grab my attention, and the depth contained within the songwriting allows my enjoyment to consistently increase with every new spin.
Hypostatic Union isn't an album that will put you in "cheery" mood, so to speak, but fans of melancholic and bleak progressive rock should have a blast with this one. If you like the spacey atmospheres of Pink Floyd, the melancholic songwriting of Hogarth-era Marillion, and the progressive compositions of Porcupine Tree, it's difficult to go wrong with this fantastic effort. Greylevel has successfully proven that they're a band to watch out for, and I'll be keeping a close eye on this Canadian act in the coming years. A big 4 star rating is fully deserved.
Track Listing:
1. Memory Remains (9:31)
2. Achromatize (11:13)
3. Terminal (8:15)
4. Pale Blue Dot (7:44)
5. Already, Not Yet (9:03)
6. Buried in Time (3:46)
7. Hypostatic Union (13:09)
8. Parallel Signals (5:11)
Total Time 67:52
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