I don't think I like the album much or enough but I'll toss this single on the air here at Grrrrr Radio, 66.6 on your dial. June 22, 2018
I'm always happy to see Tasmania's solo artist guy "Rebel Wizard" put out a new song, which he does every few months.
A very good gateway band that stretches the definition of BM. Pitchfork review of the new album. Deafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love Album Review | Pitchfork
Take the vocals out of this song and it could be anybody, the sound of the music is very generic, metal bands need to stop using the same gear/plugins/effects/recording techniques etc...
I've only heard the first two songs. The second song Canary Yellow was making me sick during the very pretty intro then I felt relief when it kicked in after 2:30. They lost me in the end with the ironic or intentionally ironic repeated "On and on and on we choke on (My lover’s blood)". For me they raised the question "should Black Metal be dark? Should it be aggressive?" Not just thematically or lyrically but musically. I think yes and that Deafheaven are more a post-rock band than anything else and I'm not a strict guy regarding these things. I rarely even think about them. Melo-Death is to me just rock with harsh vocals and isn't Death Metal. I can't say that's the situation with Deafheaven as I haven't listened to a full album but they are awfully pretty, sunny and bright. In a related note I'll include these partially qualifying bands in this thread because here at SH harsh vocals are the great divider with the majority of Metal fans hating them. Outside of this forum I wouldn't include them. What Deuce said about gateway band is probably right. Listening to "Glint" now and it's closer but is Melo-Black by my definition of Melo-Death. It's okay but not for my taste.
Some of their music sounds like the Foo Fighters with BM vocals on top to me. Not a fan myself, but it's cool people like them. I feel the same way about Ghost. I don't get it, but I'm glad other people do.
I get a Radiohead vibe and I'm a Radiohead fan but Deafheaven don't hold a candle to them imho. I imagine them appealing to younger people in their 20s or maybe 30s. I'd much rather listen to Deafheaven than other music at the top of the charts. Every time I'm in the car of a co-worker I think it's interesting that their radio is set to new dance music. it's a curiosity to me. I suppose it's unobtrusive background music.
Same deal for me a few weeks ago with a friend who had his car radio set to some 'rock' station, do you like Imagine Dragons they're pretty good? and I basically responded that the music I listen to would probably give you nightmares and would never be heard on a station like this. For most people music is spoon fed via mass media (same as its always been) for others who've had enough of it we have to go off road into non-commercial territory to be satiated. Metal by it's nature is off the path, people have enough trouble understanding its appeal let alone understanding why any musician would play black/death or any other extreme genre of it knowing that the commercial rewards for doing so are basically non-existent.
So much middle aged man angst in that new Deicide. I've gone back to Darkthrone. Wake me when something interesting happens. COME ON!
I'm definitely not getting Deafheaven. I have not been impressed or moved by any of the stuff I've heard. THIS is black metal?
I was thinking of a number of things regarding your post when I was viciously stabbed in the face by my long dormant sideways wisdom tooth. Suddenly mentally disabled by Meshuggah jamming in my tooth and checking the expiration dates in the medicine cabinet. Two hours of sleep later I'll be phoning around later. No way. Disney cannot acquire Black Metal because it isn't for sale. When things get too Bambi, nature steps in to correct. Going with my expired codeine to check out this space trip. Urfaust - The Constellatory Practice (2018)
I like to get a few discs each year from the hot bands (Dimmu, Ghost, Immortal) but glad I listed to the Deadheaven video first! No thanks!
Antaeus' Condemnation (2016) was monotonous. Going back one album (of their four) and a decade to Blood Libels (2006) and it is much better. Not a great amount of variety to contrast my "monotonous" but it is much more engaging. This is Triumphator, Funeral Mist, Marduk territory. On the evil scale it's a full five Satans. Just skip the first two minutes of time wasting. Why do bands do this? It's pure evil!
Finally (no pun) someone puts a top notch track (album context) on the end. Bless their souls! Ignoring the 4 minute outro and very poor sounding video bitrate.
For the sake of completion I didn't care for the first Antaeus album which I wouldn't be able to pick out of a line-up of basic, raw Black Metal. Their following album De Principii Evangelikum (2002) was more individual and much groovier. Comprised of 9 tracks of lengths between 2:18 and this the final song and longest at 3:32...it's an okay album destined to be ignored.
