The black-metal/shoegaze/post-rock/whatever darlings stretch laterally without compromise.
The warmth of the sun can only be appreciated in relation to the chill of a dark winter night. Few bands have exhibited this wisdom as well as Deafheaven did on their 2013 release, “Sunbather.” A swirling combination of soaring and brightly atmospheric guitars and harsh black-metal vocals, the album roared to critical success while upsetting some of the old-guard of metal.
Their latest release, “New Bermuda,” seems intent at first on dispelling any notions that Deafheaven can’t do true black metal. The opening song, “Brought to the Water,” immediately launches into a frenzy of blast beats and grating minor chords darker than anything in their catalogue. But it becomes clear soon enough that this isn’t merely a journey back into black metal, as the attack of “Brought to the Water” gives way to jangling guitars reminiscent of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me.”
If “Sunbather” was a careful combination of shoegazey post-rock and black-metal, “New Bermuda” is a jagged beast, intent on stretching the band into as many directions as it pleases. And it surprisingly works, with its interplaying lighter sections making its sudden pulls back into metal all the more imposing. Aggressive sections are also directly aided by some unique choices, like the use of a wah-wah pedal on the solo of “Baby Blue.”
This constant variance also complements vocalist George Clarke’s lyrical themes. If “Sunbather” presented the young yearning and uncertainty of the band reaching for success, “New Bermuda” deals with the aimless continuity of life in success’ wake, and its maze of influences deftly mirrors this confusion.
This chaos does present a problem, though. Except for the song “Luna,” the album never quite settles into itself to exert the same type of gravitational pull a song like “Dream House” did, with its 10-minute-long steady build towards ecstasy. And constant transitions make the rough edges of “New Bermuda” all the more apparent. The sloppy piano fadeout of “Brought to the Water,” and the puzzling ending of “Baby Blue,” featuring traffic delays being read over ambient noise, exemplify how much the album is straining to keep itself together.
Yet when that straining is carefully harnessed, few bands can achieve what Deafheaven does here. The ability to perfectly transition the buzzing guitars and shrieks of “Gifts for the Earth” into an ending that recalls Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” is not a feat to be taken lightly. Yes, New Bermuda can get quite messy. But what an interesting mess it is.
