Now on their third album, London’s Grave Lines do away with the idea that a band have to pin themselves to a particular sound. Having built their popularity on the eclectic pool of influences they draw from as a collective, their music is a kaleidoscopic mix of doom, punk, gothic rock, folk and avantgarde. Latest release ‘Communion’ is the quartet’s most diverse release to date, further broadening Grave Lines’ horizons and pushing the envelope beyond anything we’ve heard from them so far.
‘Communion’ cycles through glacially paced passages of doom metal, complete with low tuned guitar and lofty atmospherics, before shifting gears to hellish soundscapes comprised of industrial tinged drone and dark synthwave. The album even contains an 11 minute slab of epically proportioned gothic rock, that hearkens back to Turn Loose the Swans Era of My Dying Bride. Grave Lines certainly aren’t holding back when it comes switching gears, which leaves a lot to unpack on this opus. This certainly isn’t an album that will click with listeners upon first play – it requires multiple spins to fully appreciate the multi-faceted instrumentals and different textures that are at play.
While not the most accessible of albums to play through from start to finish, ‘Communion’ taps into accessibility from a slightly different angle – with the wide variety of genres that this record spans across its seven tracks there is something for everyone, allowing for Grave Lines to appeal to everyone, no matter their preferred subgenre of alternative music.
(8/10 Angela Brown)
25/07/2022 at 10:43 am
Nice review; I’m just waiting on my pre-order arriving.