Soara are the dream project that was built to last. Originating from Mumbai and Siliguri India, the live act is now based in the SF Bay Area in California. You heard them first with their EP Dharm in 2020, which already showed how powerful their entire presence is. Their first full length album releases now, called Moksha. Prepare for a metal dream come true.
From the first moment you press play, you know how dialled in the band has been. These are prime cuts of metal excellence-the way the tone and rhythm has been built around. The album opens with Vega, instrumental dexterity shining through. The switch in time signatures is something to be in awe of, how the band is able to bring the authentic vernacular sound in their derivations.
A new dawn of instru-metal
The atmospheric ambiences of Chint (Part 1) welcome you next. This is where the percussion carries the torch, setting rhythm to the otherwise layered guitar. There’s almost a doom feel to the song, the way it starts with a heavy kick and continues that barrage. Soara is an extension of what this genre sounds like; a projection of personal experiences and preferences, shaping elements carefully. Softer instrumental gems like Yuva bring the break as an interlude for the kind of pacing the album has. It is like a well-thought-out book, where each chapter has a cutaway that makes you wonder.
Thik became one of my favourite tracks very quickly, with its quick gear shifts with percussion and tones. Better hear this whole album on headphones, for there are layers you might miss otherwise. The passage of this album is truly a catacomb-where the journey is as rewarding if you want to get lost within. Soara has put a lot of work into how these melodic aspects interact, to give something I have heard Alcest perform live.
Finding the layers, between layers
The brilliant Ksema comes next. There is something in that bookmark of an opening that made me want to listen to it many times. As the progression clearly has that Hindustani overlay, you might assume the whole track is a continued storyline of the same. However, it bounces sometimes like a randomised atom, with a perfected balance in where all the accents hit. This is where the confluence of the drums and guitars sound the best-in its precision and ability to carry the song forward.
Another brilliant face appears with Jazbaat. The melody is almost recognisable, yet different enough in layers for you to be able to obsess over it. Distortion elements kick in with purpose, giving you some of the heaviest sections of the album. Soara have really gone to work through their perception of music and performances; to make something that stands out as uniquely their own.
There is a weight of thought placed on you by the time the album ends. It doesn’t ask you to think about the melodies, you need eidetic memory for that. It extracts the feeling from these beautiful songs and leaves you in that pool of wonder. You have arrived:
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
