Songs For the Enamel Queen

Black Sheep Wall

This one is gonna be a difficult one for me because six years ago, Black Sheep Wall released one of the best metal records of the 2010s. The atmosphere their last record created with repetition and intricate rhythmic patterns was oppressive and inescapable. I consider it to be one of the most experimental, adventurous, and soul-crushing records in the metalcore, doom genre. Ever since that record, the anticipation has been building, seeing where the band will go with their sound next. From the way I began, you're probably getting the sense that this record didn't quite live up to my expectations, and you are sadly correct.

Without getting too much into the specifics of why I loved their last record (I want to save that for another time), it appeared to me that on that record, there was a heavy focus on rhythm and concept. On this record, there doesn't appear to be much of a focus on anything. I struggle to find any moments, whether they be melodic, rhythmic, lyrical, etc., that really interested me. The longer tracks are padded with these relatively calmer sections where the tempo slows down to a crawl and the guitars lose the distortion. These passages can go on for awhile without any development making them quite a slog to listen to. In the case of New Measures, the band transitions in and out of these mellower sections without much style or forethought; sometimes almost coming to a complete stop before going into the next section. At least on the track Ren, they added a nice trumpet to spice the calmer passage up just a little bit.

The track Mr. Gone is perhaps the closest the band comes to the level of rhythmic experimentation that was present on their last record, but the track is incredibly bogged down with so many vocals. It makes it really tough to appreciate the intricacies and attention to detail in the rhythms. I do find it interesting that each section of the track was handled by a different vocalist (former member Trae Malone makes an appearance), but some of the more guttural vocal performances are not really to my taste. This track also reveals how painfully blunt the lyrics can sometimes be, not only on this track, but the record as a whole. This isn't dissimilar to the lyrics on their last record, but I felt like these self-loathing lines that lacked nuance fed into the album's 'to the point' concept. It's not really working for me here, especially when the music is not as bold to bolster them.

So, unfortunately, this album was pretty disappointing. There were a few moments that I liked, but they were often buried deep in these long, drawn-out tracks that I can't really see myself sitting through for a few brief moments of gratification. I hate constantly comparing to their last record, but it was challenging, visceral, and deeply emotional, all adjectives I can't place on this new record. Songs For the Enamel Queen, by comparison, sounds uninspired and despite the fact that it is still an incredibly heavy record, it doesn't feel like they are trying to ruffle anyone's feathers with this new offering.