At The Grove – …And All The Fear We Left Behind

It’s been a while since I included a post-rock artist on these pages. Fortunately enough, I have a chance to introduce At The Grove, a tremendous outlet emanating from Münster, Germany. This project is solely operated by Dennis Abstiens, an experienced multi-instrumental artist who mainly focuses on the rhythm section. Being a drummer himself, Dennis bases his sound on complex rhythmic sequences decorated by engaging melodies and harmonies. Since 2019, he released a full-length material called Inner Turmoil and dozen of singles such as Two-Sided, Sunrise, We Will Oppose You, Farewell, and With A Heavy Heart. However, none of these recordings matches his second full-length material called …And All The Fear We Left Behind, recently released over streaming services.

…And All The Fear We Left Behind represents the most advanced recording by At The Grove, who already released some impressive works in a relatively short period. This particular material carries ten profoundly detailed post-rock compositions wisely assembled to suit every listening apparatus. Besides the dominant presence of post-rock aesthetics, you may also stumble upon some other ingredients that Dennis incorporated in his music. You may hear elements of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, alternative rock, cinematic ambient, industrial and electronic music gathered altogether throughout the entire album. Despiting the fact this is an instrumental album, …And All The Fear We Left Behind acts as a comprehensive collection of stories, illustrated by engaging post-rock music. Each composition illustrates an entirely different exploration through the beautiful soundscapes, harmonies, melodies, and rhythmic maneuvers. Still, the complete album sounds and appears as an entity bounded with a singular aesthetic.

As I stated before, At The Grove focuses on polyrhythmic structures, complex enough to keep you motivated until the closure. However, these rhythmic sequences are not overwhelming the remaining portion of the instruments. It seems like Dennis paid a lot of attention to each involved music instrument, so basslines, guitars, and keys are equally detailed. The basslines offer a perfect background for guitars, keyboards, and samples though warm-sounding low-end tones assembled into delicate basslines. The guitars are dueling from scratch to finish. The rhythm guitar offers robust riffages, chord progressions, arpeggiated segments, while the lead is mainly responsible for all the themes and solos. The keyboards are coming as thick ambient/drone layers, but you may also hear some thematics performed over the keys as well. The samplers are also offering smaller chunks of ambiance, atmospherics, accentuations, and other delicacies that are defining this album even more.

Dennis thought about each aspect of his second full-length material, and there’s no even the slightest doubt in my mind that you’ll love this material if you’re into thoroughly planned post-rock sound. …And All The Fear We Left Behind is one of those albums that sets the standards up high. At The Grove demonstrates how post-rock music should sound nowadays, and it’s nearly mindblowing that these tunes are written, composed, recorded, and produced by an individual. …And All The Fear We Left Behind is available at streaming services, such as Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and YouTube.