The concept of impermanence, the somewhat Zen-like, transient nature of everything, is a recurring subject in art. When it comes to music and the heavier fringes of metal, in particular, I reckon there is no better sub-genre than post-metal to convey that sort of feeling; I mean, one moment you’re totally immersed in the atmospherics and then, the next thing you know, you’re bulldozed over with utterly crushing riffs, only to be thrusted into zero gravity again. The multinational, Berlin-based post-metal squad THRÆDS just released their debut album entitled “Impermanence” on June 6th, 2025, via Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records, and it is a fine case in point. With the lyrics touching on themes such as self-loathing, isolation, and alienation, the album comes off almost like the somber soundtrack for the end of the world, which does not seem to be that far around the corner now, but it comes with a silver lining: all this shall pass – and then some other bullshit will probably come and take its place, but it shall pass, too. You know the drill – the night is darkest before the dawn, and all that. Despite the grim topics, the album’s overall feel is uplifting rather than depressing.
The selection kicks off with the atmospheric opener, “Timeless,” the dynamics of which are a rather good calling card for the whole album. The post-rockish, almost ambient guitar intro is pretty standard in these circles, but there’s something in the music that resonates with a somewhat Oceanian air; on the one hand, the ambient postrock recalls bands such as JAKOB (New Zealand), on the other hand, the interplay between the atmospheric verses and the beefier riffs in the choruses echo bands such as THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (Australia). The latter is quite a befitting comparison in terms of vocals, too. Vocalist Celso Borralho drops some impressive falsetto lines right off the bat – and further into the album, he proves nothing short of a versatile vocalist, capable of both clean and rasped vocals, recalling the haunting vocal work of Clint Boge in the ranks of those Australian proggers. THRÆDS‘ modus operandi turns out to be about the dynamic interplay of those highly immersive, atmospheric sections and groovy riffs. Unlike many modern metal bands that flirt with post-rock, this bunch opts for radio-friendly choruses rather than excessive use of mathy and über-progressive riff origamis.
One of the highlights of the album is the perfect marriage of post- and alternative rock in “Nothing Good to Say.” The song alternates just beautifully between atmospheric, post-rockish plateaus and alt.rock riffages that recall INCUBUS from, say, 20-something years ago. It is the band’s most listened-to song on Spotify, and for a good reason, too. On the same note, the ambient follow-up track, “Clockworks,” does trigger subtle INCUBUS flashbacks, as well. Maybe the feeling stems from the song’s somewhat 1990s-tinted feel beneath all the ambient layers. INCUBUS was a product of the 1990s, after all. Lucky for us, THRÆDS does not dwell entirely in the lost world of the past, but rather the music makes you feel the past rush by like a cool gush of wind. In addition to the vintage alternative-rock aesthetic, these German rockers pilfer other tricks from the past, too. “Devolve” comes off almost grunge, on occasion, although the throaty and harsh vocals are not exactly something you would have heard on a grunge album some 30 years ago. The song perfectly shows how the band has developed a knack for mixing seemingly incompatible ingredients to make a highly delicious sonic stew. The thing is, this 6-minute detour into grunge is followed by a straight-up “free-floating in zero gravity” post-rock in the aptly titled “Einstein-Rosen Bridge,” the title of which is very much an omen; the song is a dynamic, haunting sonic journey through the inner space, through the shortcut through spacetime mentioned in the title – a wormhole – and it is by far one of the absolute gems on the album.
As per the conventions of the genre, the longest epic is saved last. “Story in Reverse” is a tad more electronically enhanced sonic treatise on the duality of atmospheric immersiveness and tight riffing. The song also features a saxophone, albeit not nearly enough to my liking! Atmospheric metal and sax is a match made in heaven – just ask TESSERACT or RIVERS OF NIHIL. Then again, providing just enough delicious saxophone licks to make us crave more fits the album’s overarching theme of the ephemeral nature of everything, I guess. Well, I certainly tried to step in the same river twice and even more by listening to this banging album for a couple of days, nonstop. I stumbled on it by accident on Spotify, and it quickly proved one of the most inspiring new acquaintances in the field of atmospheric, post-rockish metal that’s not necessarily as abrasive as those household names in the post-metal scene.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Timeless
- Reflections
- Nothing Good to Say
- Clockworks
- Sole Survivor
- Devolve
- Einstein-Rosen Bridge
- Story in Reverse
Lineup
Celso Borralho – vocals
Angelos Tzamtzis – guitars, synths
Tim Crawford – guitars, backing vocals
Felipe Melo Villarroel – drums
Barnabás Mihály – bass
Label
Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records
