Deafheaven are a pleasant return on Unholy Black Metal: a couple of years ago, I myself reviewed their second album Sunbather. The new album bears the slightly exotic title New Bermuda, that perhaps reflects its non-traditional and unorthodox sound: compared to the previous album, the American band from San Francisco has actually enriched its soundscape with disparate influences from shoegaze, post-rock and psychedelic rock, and all these influences are solidly merged and interwoven by these guys.
New Bermuda manages to be harsh and extreme, although melodic, especially when it comes to the first two songs “Brought to the Water” and “Luna”. I have also noticed something new to my ears, that is the use of thrashy bridge riffs between two main riffs; this is evident especially in the above mentioned “Brought to the Water” and “Luna”, which make an abundant (and repetitive) use of this device. I cannot help but feel that these thrashy bridges are not really suited to the context, especially in “Luna”, where they are at odds with the Cascadian beauty of the general atmosphere. The second part of the album, which consists of five songs, sounds very different. “Baby Blue” has a post-rock touch, especially at the beginning, and an almost Pink Floydian guitar solo. “Come Back” is very slow and atmospheric, with Cascadian arpeggios and dreamy notes of clean guitar. “Gifts for the Earth” has a very pop-like beginning with a screamed growl singing (?!) and it sounds almost cheerful. Sometimes I have a feeling that these very long songs lack compositional unity; an example is “Luna” that at minute 5 seems to be finishing, but then it suddenly starts again with something that has nothing to do with the previous part of the song. I must also say that this song contains a beautiful section with slow chords around minute 7.
The lyrics are full of inwardness, personal feelings and existential solipsism, as here: “I’ve boarded myself inside. I’ve refused to exit. / There is no ocean for me. There is no glamour” (quoted from “Luna”).
New Bermuda in general is a good album, but I am not impressed. In my opinion, it lacks the darkness and eerieness that an extreme metal album should have, especially black metal; sometimes this album is very cheerful (as in “Gifts for the Earth”), which is also in contrast with the lyrics. It is also true that the band defines itself post-black metal; however, this is just my taste.
Notes:
Release date: October 2 2015 on Anti Records. The digital album can be purchased through the Bandcamp player below.
Tracklist:
1. Brought to the Water
2. Luna
3. Baby Blue
4. Come Back
5. Gifts for the Earth
Personnel:
Kerry McCoy: Guitars
George Clarke: Vocals
Stephen Lee Clark: Bass
Daniel Tracy: Drums
Shiv Mehra: Guitars
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
New Bermuda manages to be harsh and extreme, although melodic, especially when it comes to the first two songs “Brought to the Water” and “Luna”. I have also noticed something new to my ears, that is the use of thrashy bridge riffs between two main riffs; this is evident especially in the above mentioned “Brought to the Water” and “Luna”, which make an abundant (and repetitive) use of this device. I cannot help but feel that these thrashy bridges are not really suited to the context, especially in “Luna”, where they are at odds with the Cascadian beauty of the general atmosphere. The second part of the album, which consists of five songs, sounds very different. “Baby Blue” has a post-rock touch, especially at the beginning, and an almost Pink Floydian guitar solo. “Come Back” is very slow and atmospheric, with Cascadian arpeggios and dreamy notes of clean guitar. “Gifts for the Earth” has a very pop-like beginning with a screamed growl singing (?!) and it sounds almost cheerful. Sometimes I have a feeling that these very long songs lack compositional unity; an example is “Luna” that at minute 5 seems to be finishing, but then it suddenly starts again with something that has nothing to do with the previous part of the song. I must also say that this song contains a beautiful section with slow chords around minute 7.
The lyrics are full of inwardness, personal feelings and existential solipsism, as here: “I’ve boarded myself inside. I’ve refused to exit. / There is no ocean for me. There is no glamour” (quoted from “Luna”).
New Bermuda in general is a good album, but I am not impressed. In my opinion, it lacks the darkness and eerieness that an extreme metal album should have, especially black metal; sometimes this album is very cheerful (as in “Gifts for the Earth”), which is also in contrast with the lyrics. It is also true that the band defines itself post-black metal; however, this is just my taste.
Notes:
Release date: October 2 2015 on Anti Records. The digital album can be purchased through the Bandcamp player below.
Tracklist:
1. Brought to the Water
2. Luna
3. Baby Blue
4. Come Back
5. Gifts for the Earth
Personnel:
Kerry McCoy: Guitars
George Clarke: Vocals
Stephen Lee Clark: Bass
Daniel Tracy: Drums
Shiv Mehra: Guitars
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com