From their record label’s website, “From the sun-drenched shores of Sardinia comes a new quartet making waves in the heavier realms.  Welcome LERA, a fresh name on the scene. The band deftly blends the weight of post-metal and doom with the expansive textures of post-rock. Expect hypnotic, cyclical riffs that can feel almost obsessive, only to gracefully give way to delicate, dreamlike ambient passages.” If your sonic palate leans towards the satisfying crunch of heavy riffs alongside slowburning arpeggios and powerful crescendos, all interwoven with ethereal vocal touches, then LERA's "Rêverie" warrants your attention. This is a band that understands the power of contrast, and their debut offers a promising glimpse into their unique sound.”

The album has eight songs, and “Dead Flowers” is first. The sound eases in slowly and with a lot of tension. Thick bass notes begin to rumble, like the advent of a thunderstorm, and then the main riff drops, and it’s dark and heavy. The vocals also ease in, but soon are unhinged. “78” is much shorter, and leaves me with an uneasy feeling. There isn’t much in the way of sonority, but it smells like the air before a storm. “Doppelganger” walks a fine line between darkness and the light, and it is ever shifting, making you feel alive. “217” is another shorter offering, completing a pattern so far of longer songs followed by shorter ones. Again, there isn’t much sonority, but the tension is noteworthy.

“Sonder” features thick, dark bass notes, and a slow, lumbering riff that picks up. Suddenly, the sound drops and is replaced by gentle and ethereal tones. It’s hard to know where things are going from here. “C-14” sees the skies grey over again and the wind picking up. But the storm never advances…it just stays out of sight. “Of Lights and Shades” features a contrasting sound that again walks a fine line. At times, it is gentle and pretty, but the heavy bottom end reminds you that the band is capable of unleashing Hell. The vocals are so smooth they almost dissipate in front of your eyes. “579” closes the album, and it’s a mysterious end to a mysterious album.

Albums like this always fascinate me, because it is one that takes the path off the main road into the cover of the forest. Even after two listens, I wasn’t able to fully unravel its mysteries. The beauty of Post Metal and Post Rock is that you never know what you are going to get. This album spends a good deal of time resting in the shadows, and I would have liked to have heard some sharper contrasts, but take a dive and see what it does to you.