Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance by Rafael Toral

❝ Toral has released several sparse epics, but Violence… is his finest, in part because he focuses his efforts on a more intimate scale. A track such as the opening “Desirée” might overwhelm and cause mental drift at album-side length; at three and a half minutes, its lush northern-lights shimmer envelopes you, ravishes you and moves on. Still, this is, more than Toral’s previous efforts, a guitar record. You can hear the contour and grain of actual straight-outta-the-amp feedback amid the shifting timbres on “Maersk Line” and “Liberté.” ❞ *