Sludge, doom and post-metal all are stated as being on the menu from this Chicago based outfit. They may well be new to us but are on their third album and this one at first glance seemed to be a lot more accessible than their last 1 hour 18-minute whopper ‘Mandala Of Fear’ of 2020. Rather than including a large track count we just have the six running at half the length of its predecessor. “Purgatorial strife and human spirit” are reflected thematically and we are told that the time between albums has been a tough one for the players. There are five in the band all involved in the singing and this time around they are joined by an extra guitarist. I expected this to be a versatile listening experience and indeed it is.
‘This Our Gospel’ thunders in and at times during the album the drummer Ray Knipe is practically blast-beating, adding a blackened emphasis on things. Once vocals join in clean and somewhat hymnal the mood lightens but there are also some harsher snarls and a thick bottom end from the reverberating bass tones. The essence of doom pervades and instrumentally the band allow things to sprawl somewhat in the midsection of the song which is both insular and some may find indulgent, negating the previous heft. Others may like the opposing nature and it also gives voice to the vocals of Aimee Bueno-Knipe who provides at first a sedate and gentle tone to things. Americana is another style adopted here and the twang of longest track ‘Cruelly Dawns’ perfectly transports you down a dusky path emphasised by harmonious clean vocal duet. Strong and somewhat dreamy melody moves into stormy drama with both drumming and vocals showering like a rain-burst from dark cloudy skies. The land may well have been parched but as we will discover later ‘Rain’ is not unexpected and when it hits it can be pretty turbulent. With ‘Lean Times’ things shift again with the landscape moving from airy acoustic folk and rising to a bit of a power ballad. Despite what could be a bit of a gamble it fits in really well and if this were listened to on vinyl would be the perfect conclusion to the A) side before the wax is flipped to discover what comes next. There’s an honesty about it too and the band give the impression that they could easily engage an audience on the street with some hippie idealism, busking their way through hard times.
‘In Times, All Things’ reminds that the drummer should not be dismissed from belting things out before Aimee adds enchanting verse. It’s evident that the band like duality of light and dark textures and it is where they excel. The composite styles remind fleetingly of bridging a gap between the likes of Wolves In The Throne Room and Oceans Of Slumber (although maybe on a more narrative than musical level) and it is certainly an interesting one. The aforementioned ‘Rain’ trickles down and is the sort of song that could easily have fitted on as a Nick Cave etched murder ballad, a fine display vocally from all involved and the rafter hitting heights and soaring guitars assure that this is a particularly impassioned act of violence.
Certainly not an immediate album or particularly accessible as first expected there is a wealth of ideas and each listening experience provides something new. There are haunting qualities here and personally I would probably have appreciated more time with this than reviewing restrictions allowed. That said I appreciated wetting my whistle on ‘The Dry Land’ and found it quite the refreshing album.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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