MP3 Premiere: Grayceon’s “Pearl,” a riff-driven string-sludge epic

Grayceon: Pearl and the End of DaysGrayceon: Pearl and the End of Days EP (Flenser, 2/12/13)

“Pearl”

Grayceon: “Pearl”

As the art of the full-length grows weaker with the rise of the digital era, 30 minutes of music practically qualifies as a double album for some artists. Not so for cello-metal trio Grayceon, whose upcoming EP Pearl and the End of Days nearly hits a half-hour in just two epic tracks.

Here’s “Pearl,” the first of those two tracks, in its entirety — 10 minutes worth of tension, release, and riffs. Jackie Perez-Gratz’s transformative cello syncs with Max Doyle’s deep guitar licks and Zack Farwell’s double-bass and tom-heavy drumming to cut swaths through the moody intro. Meanwhile, Gratz’s and Doyle’s vocals alternate between delicate and brutal, giving “Pearl” a warmth to pair with the sheer metal aggression.

From Perez-Gratz, regarding the lyrical content:

“We wrote this song when I was pregnant with my daughter, Pearl, who is now just over a year old, but the lyrics came after she was born. It’s about fear and excitement of the unknown, unconditional love, and sound waves having all the power.”

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