As my second contribution to the Last Rites review catalogue so far, it’s unlikely that I could’ve picked a more divisive band to discuss than San Francisco’s Deafheaven. In this case, my remaining words must be deliberately and carefully chosen.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock since about 2011, you’ll know that Deafheaven tends to stir up controversy that’s good for music press. That won’t be discussed here. There are plenty of articles addressing that topic to be found elsewhere. Most extreme metal and alternative music press outlets use Deafheaven as an excuse to rile up 1) black metal die-hards or 2) metal-savvy hipsters. Regardless of which camp you fall into, there is no denying that Deafheaven is an important band in alternative and extreme music, simply by virtue of the fact that strong differences of opinion on their body of work exist in the first place. Also, let’s get this out of the way: I liked Sunbather a lot. That being said, I came into the listening of New Bermuda cautiously optimistic about the results.
Now the review of Deafheaven’s 2015 LP can begin in earnest, so maybe I’ll deliver my good news and bad news to the haters first. The bad news: If the sight of Sunbather’s un-grim and un-frostbitten album cover filled you with rage and hate, then you probably won’t be changing your mind about this band anytime soon. The good news: You can stop reading this review and go study up on another album that’s more your style; there will likely be nothing of interest to you from this point onwards. For those among you that enjoy this band, I also have good and bad news: Despite some really great moments that warrant a listen, New Bermuda presents some significant shortcomings, ultimately making it an uneven experience that falls short of reaching its true potential.
Deafheaven was not the first band to integrate uplifting melodies into harsh music, nor were they the first band to write metal using pop sensibility. They can’t claim originality in the employed use of post-rock crescendos and shoegaze-y textures. So what gives? By and large, what grabbed me about Deafheaven’s sound was the impressive presentation and implementation of their ideas as opposed to the originality of the content. It’s undeniably polished, while still being rough enough around the edges to maintain that emotional impact and raw brutality. For the most part, this approach to the music remains intact on New Bermuda, with some notable differences.
First, the album structure has changed distinctly. While Sunbather had clearly defined peaks and valleys of musical expression, New Bermuda takes a much more succinct approach to the overall flow of the material. Rather than segregating the more experimental tracks from the longer more tightly focused metal-influenced compositions, Deafheaven compresses their ideas into five tracks, blending in the instrumental interludes and acoustic passages with the blast-beats and retched vocals.
Secondly, as a result of this more compact approach to album structure, the band has noticeably ratcheted up the intensity on the faster sections of the songs. The first two tracks, “Luna” and “Brought to the Water,” feature some of the most brutal and riff-heavy material that the band has crafted to date. This is a good thing, and it’s during these moments that Deafheaven sounds the most real and the most interesting. The instrumentals remain technically competent and can be downright inspiring during the intense moments all the way through the album’s run-time. Kerry McCoy never ceases to impress with his interesting choices for chord voicing alongside his more rudimentary approach to black metal riffing, and these are perfectly accompanied by George Clarke’s tortured retch. The vocal essentially sits in the mix as another instrument, adding texture and further intensity to the swirl of sound. These heavy and emotionally dense moments are without a doubt the highlights of New Bermuda.
This leads to my third point: Unfortunately, the softer, more experimental side of Deafheaven’s sound takes a back seat on this record. Some parts are poorly executed, like the abrupt piano-outro that finishes off “Brought to the Water.” Others are downright uninteresting, like the extended acoustic strum section that wraps up “Gifts for the Earth.” These passages often feel forced into the songs, and they do a sizeable job of killing Deafheaven’s momentum. It’s not that these parts are bad – they’re played well enough, but when placed in context with the rest of the band’s ideas they fall flat and don’t really add anything to the songs.
New Bermuda is an enjoyable album, if an uneven one. I’m sure there will be plenty of Deafheaven fans that will disagree, but that’s part of what makes our music community so vibrant. Chances are if you liked Sunbather, you’ve probably been waiting (im)patiently for the new material and have likely purchased the record and formed your own thoughts already. New Bermuda may not be the follow-up to Sunbather that was expected, but the stronger portions of the record would indicate that the band has plenty more interesting music to make moving forward.
