Experimentation isn't too welcome in the black metal community. This was made awfully clear when Deafheaven's previous album Sunbather, though it garnered widespread critical acclaim, was dismissed by the genre's many purists as "hippie metal" for it's unconventionally bright and triumphant sound. I personally despise this kind of close-mindedness. The album's innovation and diversity was one of the greatest reasons it was the best metal record of the year (2013) for me.
New Bermuda continues to expand on the band's experimental style, blending together various influences from post-rock, thrash metal and shoe-gaze, but somewhat follows the same overall blueprint as Sunbather - a mixture of despair and beauty, loud distorted passages accompanied by soft and melodic ones. The band has, however, significantly cut down on the vivid and vibrant atmosphere, which was a major element on Sunbather, and has turned to a comparatively darker sound The instrumentation is harsher and more abrasive, George Clarke's screams are sharper and sound chillingly anguished, and the lyrics are depressing, dealing with the idea of a life devoid of all happiness.
The album opens with the band in full-form, with Brought To The Waters. One of the instantly striking features is the drumming, which remains a highlight till the end of the album. It is a marvel how effortlessly Daniel Tracy transitions between drum rolls, never for a second faltering in his timing. The track is a solid one, successfully weaving in bits of melody into the gritty and chaotic instrumentation.
Next up, Luna kicks in with its Slayer-esque guitar riff. The thrash influence is distinctly audible throughout most of the song's length, with many of the riffs following the style of the genre's characteristic chugging and galloping sound, though the murk and atmosphere of black metal still takes the center-stage. Baby Blue, on the other hand, serves as a testament to the band's versatility, and stands as the most diverse track on the album, with a smooth undistorted intro, some thrashy riffing and a wah-wah pedal guitar solo. The most interesting track however, is the album-closer - Gifts for the Earth. The song features Clarke's distressed black metal vocals over soft and clean instrumentation in the background, sounding like a post-rock band with a black metal vocalist.
Deafheaven hasn't exactly matched the brilliance of Sunbather, which by no means is an easy task, but created a worthy follow-up to it. With just three albums into their career, the band has already won the spot for the best American black metal act in my list.
Rating: 9/10
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