On The Horizon: Vihar Után (01.22.) #13 /ENG/

In the thirteenth episode of On The Horizon, you can get to know one of the Hungarian representatives of the post-rock genre, Vihar Után, and their debut EP Természetesen (Naturally). If post-rock is close to your heart and you’re looking for a promising and quality band, this article is for you!

Band: Vihar Után (HUN)

EP: Természetesen (2021)

Genre: Post-Rock

What can we expect from Vihar Után (After the Storm)? Learn about the band members’ main goals, the philosophy behind their music and everything you’ll experience after listening to one of their songs:

“What’s most personal is most universal”, which is perhaps why we’re so afraid of it. Yet, at the end of the darkest paths, after the most dangerous storms, the greatest value emerges: an honest experience shared together. With every line written, every sound captured, we peel back a layer, sometimes gently, sometimes harshly, of the superficiality that separates us. The first time we sat down with each other and our instruments, we decided that we wanted to create not just an orchestra, but a community. We wanted to move on the axis of emotions, not positive-negative, but superficiality-deepness. We don’t want to, nor could we, say anything grandiose new, because everything that is precious is in you and in us, if we look at it with courage and admiration. We would like to give you nothing less than our most intimate, most human experiences, in the form of music, lyrics and film. But we want to delight you, to make you think, to remind you, to accompany you to your own inner realities and truths… All this with writings that can be interpreted in a symbolic space, with expressive and dynamic imagery, with atmospheric instrumental playing, and of course with feelings and thoughts that condense them into a single material.”

“Whether it washes over you, breaks you, or caresses you softly, we’ll be waiting for you After the Storm”

Current Line-up:

Zoltán Galacsik - vocal, guitar
Milán Leindler - drums, songwriting
Áron Miriszlai - bass

Post-rock: an up-and-coming genre

For many, post-rock may represent something completely new and yet to be discovered within the Hungarian music scene. This is likely to remain the same abroad, as it is a relatively young genre that started to gain ground in the mid-1990s. You may be familiar with Iceland’s Sigur Rós, Glasgow’s Mogwai or Ireland’s God Is an Astronaut, but you may also have heard bands like Múm or If These Trees Could Talk. In recent years and decades, post-rock has gradually gained in popularity. Fortunately, with the emergence of more and more quality bands, there’s no need to worry about not having a successor. The genre, known for its diversity and blend of classical and pop music, has a lot of new hearts to win over in the near future. And for fans of underground music, it could be an exciting area to explore, thanks to Germany’s There’s A Light and Vihar Után. Let’s find out what the first EP by Vihar Után is like!

One song that you shouldn’t miss: “A tölgy is meghajol”

The very first song from Vihar Után is undoubtedly a good one, and foreshadowed the fact that quality could be a recurring element in both the music and the music videos for the songs. As I mentioned in my review of the EVERFLASH EP, it is a rare occurrence when everything is perfect at once. For most of the time, it is always a unique process of a band growing and becoming more complete, whether it is the ideal execution of the original idea, the right balance between vocals and instrumental or even the perfected sound. But it is an encouraging sign in a long-term perspective if, in relatively few areas, we feel that a song or even an EP could be better. What can we conclude after listening to A tölgy is meghajol? First of all, the atmosphere of the almost 8 minute long song is what grabs us, which is not surprising. Post-rock bands are careful to create an atmosphere that is difficult to describe and, as you can see from the music video, their stories are very often linked to nature.In addition to the scope, the atmosphere or the nature-related lyrics and music video, the use of instruments is also clearly post-rock: the vocals are accompanied by a guitar, bass and drums trio, along with other classical instruments. In this song, for example, the cello (by Orsolya Kovács) and violin (by Péter Varga) make the experience unforgettable. Zoltán Galacsik‘s voice is a perfect match for what you would imagine a post-rock song to sound like. Zoltán Galacsik’s voice is a perfect match for what you would imagine a post-rock song to sound like.This song is probably the one where I felt the vocals were the best, the most bone-deep, but it certainly depends on what kind of song you like. One thing I would definitely note about the vocals is that they have a slightly larger role than is typical in post-rock (it’s not uncommon for vocals to be very minimal or neglected in post-rock songs), but this hasn’t become a disadvantage of the track at all. Milán Leindler‘s drumming is pleasant throughout the song, adds a lot to the atmosphere and is crucial as the song builds up. This can also be said about the bass guitar. Áron Miriszlai did an excellent job! All in all, A tölgy is meghajol is a well-composed, high quality song, which I would highly recommend to anyone who loves the post-rock genre or just wants to get to know it.

Vihar Után – A tölgy is meghajol

Why should ‘Természetesen’ be your perfect choice? The other two tracks on the three-song EP don’t disappoint either. Merülés and Gyere nézd offer something different from A tölgy is meghajol, which has already been presented in more detail. Operating with shorter, less voluminous lyrics, the tracks rely more heavily on the instrumental parts. This time, instead of cello and violin, the piano joins the instruments of the core line-up, featuring Robert D. Carpenter. Gyere nézd is a particularly energetic song, where the instrumental is noticeably more developed. In terms of instrumental use, this was arguably the song I liked the most, but A tölgy is meghajol and the instrumental on Merülés have no cause for complaint either! The depth of the lyrics, the message of the video clips and the atmosphere of the Természetesen EP alone could justify multiple listens to each song. Vihar Után is not selling a bargain with the Természetesen EP: you know that quality will be delivered. It might be especially interesting to see what new impulses we can expect from new, as yet unheard instruments, and will the short vocals, extended instrumentals or the already established recipe of more expansive lyrics be the basis for the upcoming songs? One thing’s for sure, the positive reactions to the Hungarian post-rock trio are not without reason!

If you’re interested in Vihar Után, you should keep an eye on our site, because soon you can meet the Hungarian post-rock band again in an interview! And if you don’t want to miss their new releases and latest posts, you can easily stay up to date with their latest news by following the links below.