Thisquietarmy - Unconquered (2008)

Genre : Post-rock, Drone, Ambient, Shoegaze, Experimental
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Tracklist :

01. Immobilization
02. Battlefield Arkestrah
03. Warchitects
04. The Sun Destroyers
05. Death Of A Sailor
06. The Great Escapist
07. Mercenary Flags
08. Empire

Just recently released at the end of this past March was the debut from Thisquietarmy titled Unconquered out on Foreshadow Records. Some may already be familiar with Thisquietarmy and that the man behind the moniker, Eric Quach, is also a guitarist for the fantastic post-rock/shoegaze group Destroyalldreamers. Taking his love for fuzz and ambiance further (which is already hinted at in the space defiant band names), Quach has turned to his solo project for an outlet and the results of it certainly speak for itself.

Unconquered is a record that takes on a few different shapes and sounds as it progresses through the eight tracks that make up the album. The opener “Immobilization” is a fantastic joint effort between Quach and guest collaborator Aidan Baker. To little surprise it resembles Baker’s work on his past textural/ambient albums and it’s obvious that the two teamed together create a fairly captivating creative force. However, one of the things that makes Unconquered such a strong debut is that Quach doesn’t try to mimic these results for the rest of the album and the structure and mood shifts considerably after the first track. It follows up on the next couple tracks with a semi-abrasive wash of rising and falling distortion. “Battlefield Arkestrah” is a notable punishing piece of work, which is featured further below. One of my favorite tracks off the album is easily “The Great Escapist”, which features vocals from female singer Meryem Yildiz. The implementation of vocals is a fantastic addition and although it may be one of the more structured tracks on the album, it still fits right along with the rest of the album.

While Unconquered may not be something completely new to drone/ambient fans, it’s surely something that should and likely will be enjoyed by fans of the genre. Quach’s execution and unique approach to the genre is certainly worth checking out.-Jonathan

[me]Thx to sir Mayo @ IP ;)