CD Reviews

Remain In Light - Anosognosia

June 2022

Self-Released

Remain In Light returned in June 2022, following their last album in 2018, "The Sentinel Diaries".

On June 24, the fourth full length album of the Greek post-punk / goth rock band from Thessaloniki came to light, entitled "Anosognosia". Those who have dealt with the dark alternative scene of Greece certainly know the project of Yiorgos Panteleon (aka Y). Remain In Light formed in 2010 in Thessaloniki and have released three CDs (2LPs and one EP) and two 45" vinyls. Their music has traveled all over the world with their participation in the setlists of major radio shows of the scene like the one of Mick Mercer, but in Brazilian, Greek, English, Australian and other international compilations, as well. During the years, they have performed a large number of live concerts with the highlights being the appearances alongside Christian Death in 2014, And Also The Trees in 2016 and The Membranes UK in 2020.

2022 finds Remain In Light with major line-up changes and "Anosognosia" comes at a time when only Y is behind the band. The new album marks a turning point for the post goth rockers, since behind this we find Y's personal work and perspective. After the success of "The Sentinel Diaries" where the band found themselves on dark punk paths, enriched with cold, goth sounds from the 80's to today, in "Anosognosia" we listen to a different exploration of dark sounds. Not sticking to musical clichés and strict post-punk boundaries, Y takes us on a journey through paths and soundscapes taken from his own inner world, his soul and his emotions. Remain In Light, with "Anosognosia" prove that even an orchestral album can tell stories without the listener being led there through lyrics. The expression of feelings through the composition of sounds and melody perhaps gives greater freedom to the listener. "Anosognosia" therefore comes to turn a page in the history of Remain In Light. The album contains 9 tracks, of which 7 are instrumental and 2 with lyrics and Y's voice.

"Anosognosia" opens with 2 instrumental tracks, "Cathedral Bar" where Y essentially invites us into the new world of Remain In Light using his sharp guitar riffs and opening the musical horizons of the band, alternating his sound within the 4 and half minutes of "Cathedral Bar". The 2nd instrumental track "Wave Collector" stays on the post-punk origins of Remain In Light with Y using a lot of experimentation in his composition and with the closing of the track accompanied by the sound of the violin. The next turn of the album brings one of the two lyrical tracks from "Ansognosia", "Hail Mary Hour". Amazing post-punk inspiration with a strong dark aesthetic and goth feeling, while Y's lyrics and vocals complement the dark atmosphere.

Right after, "Anosognosia" brings us 2 more orchestral tracks. "Zeus Watching" where the tempo stays low and continues the journey through the sounds and different influences that Y blends in his own way. "Half Light Thoughts" goes even more in psychedelic paths with the guitar guiding you and the electronic sounds to accompany the ethereal but dark and melancholy moment of the album. The end of which brings us the 2nd track with lyrics for "Anosognosia", "Crossing Heavy Seas", where the melancholy that brought out the "Half Light Tour" comes to form through the lyrics and the voice of Y and the story of the siren and the sailor. Dark, haunted story with a gloomy atmosphere throughout, perhaps glancing at the Swans as well.

"Forest Run" comes to raise the tempo with its strong bass lines and up-tempo instrumentation, while "Eurasia" takes us back to the special and dark world of "Anosognosia" with a composition that balances on dynamic dark southern ambient lines and John Doyle's narration in "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" by William Wordswarth. "Vista" closes very nicely this special and multifaceted Remain In Light album.

If you find "Anosgnosia" in your hands, or better on your screen and speakers - since it's only available digitally at the moment - get ready for a journey of emotions and images created by Y's arrangements. Remain In Light has always been a band that loved experimenting. But here this becomes reality in the best possible way. Listen to the musical stories of "Anosognosia" with your mind open, ready to go from light to dark and back, to remain in the light!

Info:

https://www.facebook.com/RemainInLightband

https://www.instagram.com/remaininlightband/

https://remaininlight.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdpsTNjNXW5X7D9wSANaMA