For their sixth album, Long Distance Calling are going back to basics. The German post-rockers began as an instrumental outfit, dabbling with guest vocals and only introducing full-time singers on their last two albums. With Boundless, everything’s stripped back to the initial formula – all instrumentals, no guests, no vocals. The difference is that by now the quartet are experts in texture, tone and atmosphere, eschewing the post-metal tropes of loud/quiet dynamics. The majority of tracks are left to their own devices, steadily building to vertiginous peaks of thundering noise and vortexes of melody. Consequently, there’s a lawless feel to Skydivers and Ascending, the latter opening with Mastodon-esqueriffery before overcast ambience takes it to a dark, dramatic place. Boundless might revisit LDC’s roots, but it’s less a step backward, more a cinematic homecoming.
Long Distance Calling - Boundless album review
Post-rock Germans step back for a wider view

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
More about metal hammer

"Lemmy was the real deal, right to the end." Metallica's Kirk Hammett on his love for Motorhead

“You’ve no idea how cold it was – totally freezing. I know we’re a doom band, but this was suffering way beyond the call of duty”: How Candlemass changed metal forever with doom landmark Epicus Doomicus Metallicus