At some point Insect Ark will hit the redline for sonic unsettling and brilliance in experimentation. The Vanishing is their new offering and the duo’s most diverse and dynamic effort.
Currently made up of founder Dana Schechter (Swans) and Andy Patterson (ex SubRosa), Insect Ark is a force of nature, the way they added big melodies into their heavier, darker and at times disturbing intensity is just another way to bring some punishment to their orgasmic and hypnotic sound. It’s a hell of a ride from start to finish, the way they connect the album’s title with the whole atmosphere of the record is mind-blowing. “The album’s title refers to a recurring daydream I had of disappearing completely – floating out to sea alone, and never being found,” says Schechter of the themes driving the record. “On a much bigger level, it’s about the impermanence of life itself, trying to retain perspective of how small we really are.”
Captured by engineer Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia, Krallice), The Vanishing’s greatest strength is the way they manage to eschew doom’s eerie or any kind of post-metal brain-numbing formulas by injecting a calculated and defiant Neurosis type of aggression and unrelenting intensity, with a welcome tinge of melody on their dynamic brutal soundscape.