Matterhorn

The dilemma facing every metal band that opt to omit a singer is trying to convince the listener that their music conveys meaning on its own, independent of even the basest of post-metal screams, which Matterhorn could easily have mustered (and did with their previous, more technical incarnation, the Great Redneck Hope). Although Matterhorn support their instrumental meanderings on The World Began Without Man... with an interesting, if predictable, concept (describing the end of the world ― surprise), delivering an impressive array of riffs sourced from numerous credible and crusty sources ― from Mastodon-style ornamentations on the opening track to the Converge-ish hardcore of "Armada Storm," not to mention a number of parts that descend in tempo towards levels of sludge Pelican would approve of ― the cataclysm this record is supposed to encapsulate is lost to a seemingly endless flurry of those aforementioned guitar extravaganzas, which, unfortunately, lack the musical themes to tie them together.