Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s first release in a decade was one of 2012’s best kept secrets. News of the album surfaced after the band silently released it at a show Oct. 1, and overnight the post-rock gods had made an enormous comeback.

Because of the hype surrounding the album, some listeners might not realize the music on it is very good, perhaps the best since the band’s legendary debut.

The 20-minute opener “Mladic” is one of the heaviest tracks Godspeed has recorded. The drums kick into a driving groove and suddenly the track is hard rock. The screaming, distorted guitars shriek a Middle Eastern-flavored riff.

After a shorter drone track, the album’s second extended cut begins. The band spends so long developing the riff of “We Drift Like Worried Fire” that when it drops out near the climax, it still hangs in your head.

This unexpected album might not usher in a resurgence of post-rock, but it assures us that Godspeed is still on top of the genre.

By Jacob Klopfenstein