You Can Be My Wave

When I caught up with extreme metal outfit Full of Hell last year, things didn't exactly go over too well. I couldn't tell you why I disliked Aurora Leaking From a Head Wound so much because I've since repressed those unfortunate experiences. However, I typically find myself coming back to their projects for a few reasons: I've considerably enjoyed some of their previous records, they possess a bit of an experimental streak, and they also, occasionally, collaborate with some unlikely guests. Their latest collaboration happens to be with shoegaze band Nothing, a band I am not at all familiar with, but given that I have enjoyed some blackgaze, post-metal, or atmospheric metal in the past, I figured the team-up could bear fruit. The result? Well, When No Birds Sang is a really good example of why you shouldn't jump ship after one or two less than stellar projects.

The album kicks off with the hellish and doom-filled Rose Tinted World. It's instantly one of the best metal tracks I've heard this year thanks to its muscular guitars, piercing feedback, cymbal accents, and some pretty insane snarled vocals from Dylan Walker that will make you briefly forget the name Will Ramos. The last half of the track is a sound collage of sunny daytime TV/radio clips, endlessly layered to the point that their cheerful nature becomes overbearing. An ominous, chord progression serves as the only non-distorted part of our reality, although that is soon overtaken by walls of noise. The head bludgeoning beginning and the existential crisis at the end easily makes this the most compelling track on the record. Thankfully, I am coddled by softly echoing, chorused guitars, and gently whispered vocals on the following track Like Stars In the Firmament. It reminds me a little of CODY-era Mogwai; it's melancholic, but also very much at peace.

There's a pretty stark contrast between the first two tracks, however, there's a meeting in the middle on Forever Well. It opens with the plucking of a low bass string that echoes into the abyss. Its isolation creates a real suspenseful and disconcerting feeling. It is later joined by more rock instrumentation, but it's the industrial-tinged details that really grab my ear. The trail of industrial artifacts that come from the crack of a snare drum, for example, are one such detail. After biding their time for the better part of the track, we finally transition into a heavy passage with steady, driving guitars, and Walker's harsh vocals. Domenic Palermo takes on the role of Walker's angelic foil with some softly delivered lines of his own. It's another really good track; I only wish it stuck around for another round of heavies. The band had way more energy to expel.

Wild Blue and When No Birds Sang offer some brighter moments before the record comes to a close. The former is an ambient drone piece that has some nicely swelling guitars and rumbling bass. It paints a scene; saturated green fields, impossibly blue skies, and no other details other than aircraft flying low overhead. This feeling continues in a more full band setting on the latter track. It has a messy, shoegaze, 'wall-of-sound' mix, but there are also some pretty interesting details here. Palermo's vocals sound slightly modulated, suggesting they are not quite human, and there are pockets in which all the frequencies are sucked in, only to be released in a propulsive gust a short moment later. The record finishes with Spend the Grace, where after an introductory section that features sour, rusty guitars, the song morphs into a very mournful dirge. The progression of this track is pretty grand as well. Initially, there doesn't appear to be many layers of guitars, however the production is filled out with some reverb effects; thus creating a pretty monumental setting. All the instrumentation pulls away for a moment leaving only the drums, only to return again with more guitars and a key change of all things. Very unexpected; not something you typically hear in a genre like this.

When No Birds Sang is a really impressive record and a great bounce back from Full of Hell. Aside from leaving gas in the tank on Forever Well, the only other thing I can nitpick is that there are times where this feels more like a split than a collaborative record. Although, this could be due to my relative lack of knowledge regarding any of Nothing's work. Sonically, the shoegaze, post-rock, and ambient sections feel pretty compartmentalized from the sludgy, doom metal passages. Maybe a little more vocal interplay between Walker and Palermo could help solidify this as more of a collaborative effort. Regardless, this is still going to wind up being one of my favourite records of the year.