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Explosions in the Sky
Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever

Released in 2001

8.9/10

Styles
Metal
Space Rock
Post Rock

Song Highlights
Yamsin the Light
Have You Passed Through This Night?
A Poor Man's Memory

Explosions in the Sky are a four piece, instrumental, space rock/metal outfit from Texas. They were hyped early on as not only being the most interesting thing to happen to metal in a decade, but were also being touted as the loudest band on earth. Both these assertions are not entirely unjustified.

Those Who Tell... contains six tracks of sprawling hard rock, with each one clocking in at anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. During the softer moments, the group creates some gorgeous soundscapes, drawing on space rock, psychadelia, goth rock and even drum marches. However, when the band hits their crecsendos (and there's a few of them), their rage is absolutely overwhelming. With the ability to go from dreamy, sorrowful melodies to earth-shattering outbursts of guitar and cymbals, this in an album that ends up sounding more like a journey, guiding the listener through a number of varied emotions.

It's all a little bit self conciously angsty (the title is obviously pushing it a bit), but thanks to the absense of vocals to constantly remind us of what a serious, introspective lot they are, the band manages to get away with it.

With their use of the soft-loud-soft style, comparisons to space rock outfits like Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor! are inevitable. While the similarities are numerous, the key difference is Explosions' decision to forego build-ups to their crecsendos. There's never any indication when the explosion (excuse the pun) will hit. It just does, and chances are it'll blow you out of your seat (and probably scare the hell out of you).

Such a small difference manages to make the group sound fresh and unique, something that metal hasn't had for years and that space rock has been losing ever since Godspeed became critical favourites. Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever will move you and shock you, but most importantly, it will suprise you.