Review Summary: With Feathergun, Rishloo have moved past their previously darker material to create a colorful and passionate work of art, as well as their magnum opus.
It’s no secret that Rishloo have been compared to bands such as Tool, Dredg, Fair to Midland, and alt/progressive bands of the like. However, any obvious influences that may have presented themselves before have been cast aside on Feathergun. Unlike its predecessor,
Eidolon,
Feathergun's overall aesthetic, or feel, is much brighter and more colorful. Songs like "River of Glass" and "Keyhole in the Sky" are a perfect representation of the artistic change the band made with this album. Gone are the shocking and visceral moments of aggression shown in songs like "El Empe". Now Rishloo focus more on creating atmospheres with rich, vibrant sounds that captivate the listener.
However the blessing and curse of this band is the fact that the success of Rishloo's delivery practically lies on the shoulders of the vocalist, Andrew Mailloux. Without his unique vocals, the mood of the album wouldn’t be nearly as dazzling. His passionately grandiose wails singlehandedly make moments like the build-up in "Weevil Bride" something special. While the fact that, without Andrew, the overall music isn’t nearly as interesting, I don’t think that his style of vocals could likewise be as effective in any other setting. It’s this symbiotic relationship between the vocals and instrumentation that makes Rishloo special.
Unfortunately, this also comes at a cost. The fact that Andrew decided to depart from the band after this release caused them to have to stop the project entirely. Considering how well they all worked together, it is hard to see how they could have not made that decision. It is sad to see that this may be the last work we hear from Rishloo, because they were a band that were just discovering what they could be.
