What do you get when you put together three musically gifted brothers, a dynamic vocalist, a ton of passion and hard work and a love for pineapple lumps? You get Auckland’s heavy alternative rockers Coridian. Look, to be honest, I’ve taken liberty there with the pineapple lumps and that New Zealand stereotype, but there is nothing stereotypical about Coridian. They are a hard-rock meteorite spiked with emotive and anthemic hooks that you’ll be singing for days. If you haven’t come across these guys yet, they have a sound that can be placed amongst heavy hitters such as Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect and Shihad taking influence from harder rock outfits like Tool and Deftones.
The depth of Coridian is not only demonstrated sonically but conceptually with their four-part EP series, ‘Elements’ which represents the four elemental forces, Water, Earth, Wind and Fire and also mirrors the bands progress and development as they grow together as a band. There is also a nod to the Raven brother’s Nordic lineage that can be found in this EP’s title ‘Eldur’ which is Nordic for fire. ‘Eldur’ is the third instalment of the series and is beautifully constructed and professionally executed.
The opening track is Rite of Passage and that it most certainly is. “Time is a force of nature that we can’t rewind” and “Will it be our Saviour, will it be our demise?” are two of the first lines and sets the tone for the remainder of the track. Kris Raven’s drums are a driving, solid force throughout the verses that keep the song grounded before the soaring vocals of Dity Maharaj take us up throughout the chorus. There is a choir like group vocal supporting Dity on the chorus towards the end of the track which adds an ethereal air of divinity. Already one of the standouts for me.
Good for Nothing is the second track here and starts off slow and low and builds to a crescendo that is pinpointed by another big, anthemic chorus. These guys just know how to write amazingly catchy hooks that are so addictive and will be brilliant played live…once we can go live again.
Seed Pt 2 starts off bass heavy with Nick Raven leading the way. This is the follow-on part to Seed which was off the second EP instalment ‘Caldera’. You can hear the Tool influences on Seed and there’s definitely The Butterfly Effect vibe there. The beginning of Seed Pt 2 still offers those Tool influences with Nick’s bass line and the high, atmospheric riff that Mike Raven introduces in the beginning but less reminiscent of The Butterfly Effect and more of their own intricate sound. There is a fleeting moment where I am actually reminded of the Hand that Feeds by Nine Inch Nails when Dity sings “Do we grow to be cut down? Leave the World behind, do we listen to our hearts while we build to fall?”. It is only minute and momentary but still triggers a little nostalgia in my heart.
After three flawless tracks we’ve come to the middle of the EP. We are met with the ambient sounds of Define. It has a sorrowful beauty and serves as a moody, atmospheric instrumental interlude to The Witness.
The Witness is the first single that has been released from ‘Eldur’ and is an absolute powerhouse of a track. The chorus is big and bold and powerful and has me washed with a wave of emotion. “When you’re done and your dusted, put your thoughts to rest, it’s not a test, there is no right or wrong.”. Dity’s vocals are soaring and impassioned and take you on a journey, whether that be of melancholy or one of positivity. You choose.
Like any art form, music is subjective and can be interpreted in whatever way that resonates to the listener. Sometimes a lyric may strike a chord and be pertinent to something you are going through at the time or it could be quite straight forward with not much room for interpretation. But if you are like me, I actually really love to know what was behind the writer’s ideas and thought process. Dity has recently added some lyrical breakdown videos to Youtube where he discusses the meaning behind each line. You can check out both the video for The Witness and the Lyrical breakdown video below.
The mood and pace is brought down with Lost Heroes and opens with piano and an acoustic accompaniment to Dity’s sombre vocals. It’s pensive and spacious and showcases the quality and professionalism of Dity’s range.
The closing track on ‘Eldur’ is Mantra and it’s a fantastic way to finish. Harking back to those earlier influences, I can hear something distinctly Deftones here. Certainly not straight out of their playbook, but influenced nonetheless. Mike’s guitar tone and twinkly echoed riffs aid in that representation. Although Dity and Chino sound nothing akin, you can imagine Chino slotting in perfectly here. Dity gives this track soul and even though this is the longest track on the EP, I really don’t want it to end. Kris’s drumming is fuller and rockier than in previous tracks on ‘Eldur’ and provides Mantra with an extra wall of boldness. This is my favourite of the 7 tracks, although the others give it a hell of a good run for its money.
There’s absolutely no doubt that the Raven brothers are a ridiculously talented trio. Holiday’s at their family house must be an absolute gas! Add in the vocal dexterity and strength of Dity Maharaj and you have a powerful force of a collective that are destined for great things.
To find out more about Coridian or to ask them if they do, in fact, love pineapple lumps click here – http://coridianband.com
A REVIEW BY CARLY GIBBS
FULL REVIEW