Swedish MOTH GATHERER are back releasing another records after their first effort back in 2013 titled "A Bright Celestial Light" and 2015's , "The Earth is the Sky". "Esoteric Oppression" consists of five songs for about forty three minutes. Strong bass waves are heard at first, pulsating, as brass instruments produces the first notes...trumpet like. It has a dreamy approach.The same notes are repeating themselves as a pattern until we can hear the guitars. Slow tempo, key effects setting an ethereal mood until vocals breaks the ice. The vocals are post-hardcore as the music too. It reminds me pretty much of CULT OF LUNA  with a deep attention to landscapes. The bass is a little grindy and follows the rhythmic section smoothly.

The vocals are like HIS HERO IS GONE. In my hometown there a band that sounds pretty similar that I really appreciate that's called LE KRAKEN. The have wonderful female vocals that adds to mystical feel of the song. It's oriental, an exotic way to sing. It reminds me of Julie Christmas in "Mariner" (CULT OF LUNA). "Motionless in Oceania" is an absolute fine track to the voyagers we are. I can visualize (maybe i'm wrong) oceans, vastitude, full speed ahead, reaching  wanting to break free. The riffs are inspired and teamed up with beautiful keyboards and effects, to release weight on our wings and fly like an eagle above the waves under the brightest sun. The vocals are recorded in a more clean way to let the mic envelop the listener more.

"Utopia" starts with a few significant notes that are repeated and well settled. The repetitive guitar riffs and the song structure in general is really reminiscent of ISIS,even the vocals are like Aaron Turner. But they have their own signature, and they're not done in that pointless copycat style. If ISIS were active these days, they'll surely sound like that. I'm sorry to make so much comparisons but let's say I say it as a compliment...dreamy like floating in space, orbiting to a destination unknown..."The Failure Design" starts with a weird form intro of keyboards and effects. While the drums act discreetly beating the times, cymbal only. Then the guitars attack happens, destructured, well balanced but at the same sounding somehow, wrong...like badly tuned ones, but done intentionally.

Some Post-Rock like melodies acting as the calm before the tempest. I like the way this track sounds...bizarre and clean at the same time, a hybrid of beauty and anger. It reminds me of some CASPIAN. "Phosphorescent Blight" is more than ten minutes long, using some wise variations varying from spacey relaxing moments to explosives ones and dealing some major experimentations with different sonorities. The first minutes are multi effects filled with moving drums and multiple layers of sounds. More space is allowed to psychedelic electronics. At minute three or so it all slows down to let the dust come down and having a break...dealing with what we've been through for the first three minutes. The drums in the foreground, with guitar acting like a cello or something similar. The riff is very catchy and evolutive, and second guitar comes to help and add to the demonstration of self confidence and accomplishment. The bass and the keys are doing their job, being the companions in this wonderful trip to forevermore.The last minutes are elaborations of electronic brass instruments keyboard landscapes, on a repeating mantra that's dripping from falls of mankind.