American metal band Deafheaven angers some not necessarily because of what they sing about, but rather the fundamental nature of their art. The group tiptoes the border between shoegaze and black metal, borrowing heavily from both genres and leaving a roiling sea of debate in their wake. Some fans of metal and shoegaze vehemently loathe what they see as a corruption of genres, while others see genius in Deafheaven’s blending of musical palettes.
Deafheaven’s prior release, “Sunbather,” demonstrated the group’s creation of a dark and deeply eerie feel to their music. Tortured shrieks and shimmering chord progressions dotted the album, but there was something more to their music than just the lyrics and sound. It had an extra, undefinable weight that pushed at the bounds of music. With “New Bermuda,” Deafheaven has honed in on this inexplicable presence, making this album perhaps their most powerful yet.
“New Bermuda” is the auditory equivalent of an epic tale. As guitars tear into the sound on top of precise drumbeats and pained vocals, images of Homer’s “The Odyssey” come to mind. During “Baby Blue,” one can imagine Homer pleading to the mercy of his gods as vocalist George Clarke sings, “God had sent my calamity into a deep space / from which not even in my dreams / could I ever imagine my escape.”
The epic feel isn’t just in the themes, though; it’s in the album’s arrangement too. Each song evolves from minimally strummed guitars or end-cabbed pianos into soaring crescendos. Some may scoff at this since “Sunbather” did the exact same thing. However, “New Bermuda” is careful to leave its mark. The most driving, immersive moments from “Sunbather” had a pervasive energy found everywhere in “New Bermuda.” This means the crescendos on this latest release are even more gripping than before.
With a mastery of arrangement almost reminiscent of prominent post-rock acts, Deafheaven crafts intricate soundspaces that accentuate the energy on “New Bermuda.” Listeners will find nothing standard about the instrumentation on this release. Through heavy syncopation, clever drum fills and guitar harmonies that mesh perfectly with the rest of the sound, Deafheaven is dead-set on putting listeners in a metal induced trance.
“New Bermuda” is an album true to Deafheaven’s sound. It lays the group’s intentions bare, with no frilly pretenses — it’s loud, raw and unabashedly expressive. By honing in on what made “Sunbather” their defining album, Deafheaven has produced their best work to date.
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