Amuro Ray is a band from Toronto named after the protagonist of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam or Gundam 79, since it was released in 1979. Their Bandcamp simply says Canada’s first J-Rock band. And the Japanese influence is quite clear. Their release last summer “2004” is the most obvious example of this influence, switching between English and Japanese singing, a high-paced heroic energy type song, making their version of an anime intro in a way.
When we last heard from them it was on Halloween with the singles “Gestalt” and “Ritual Silence”. These two are a stark difference from their latest release “Measure the Clouds”. “Ritual Silence” is this heavy djent-y tune with a rap verse and a breakdown à la Greyhaven or Spiritbox. “Gestalt” is another one with the heavy chugging djent-y riffs. They definitely know how to get down and dirty on the riffage.
In contrast, ”Measure the Clouds” goes in a much more Hail the Sun direction. The guitars exchange the deep low chugging for some high-flying post-hardcore sweeps in a much higher tuning. Even though the sound is quite different from their previous 2 songs it does not feel out of place. You’ve got the polyrhythms, odd time signatures, and riding the line between singing and screaming in their previous releases. All of the post-marks of post-hardcore with the high-pitched proggy guitar being the only missing piece. And I must say, I am a sucker for this genre. I love the ear-wormy guitar riffs, I love the vocals in conjunction with those riffs, and I love the layered vocal parts overlapping each other. “Measure the Clouds” checks all the boxes for a fun poppy post-hardcore song.
Instrumentally there are Makari and Coletta vibes, but lyrically is where the J-rock influence comes in for this song. A dramatic yearning-filled love song, “And the moon’s a shield from the night’s embrace / I think I found my sacred place / A place to rest my head at the end of the day”, it’s cute and fun. With love being the most powerful emotion, I can never fault someone for singing their heart out about it. I, myself, am quite excited to hear more from Amuro Ray.
Written by Thomas Peterson
