Heavy metal is either a turn-on or a turn-off for the average music listener. If one does not either engage in or adapt to the aesthetic of being a metal fan, they refuse to associate themselves with those who do. That being said, rarely does a heavy metal band reach an audience wider than heavy metal fans. A metal fan could argue that Opeth’s Ghost Reveries is a modern day masterpiece, but their bitch of a sister could describe it as the musical equivalent to a horse being slaughtered. On Sunbather, Deafheaven built a bridge that once divided the two opinions, and they did so with deft, precision, and more abstract emotion than most other musicians of their caliber could attempt to. As they have been invited to perform at festivals such as SXSW and Pitchfork Music Fest, they have earned the respect of the modern day hipster. They have enjoyed fair airplay on college radio stations across the country, including my own on WZBC at Boston College. They have classifies their sound as a combination of Shoegaze and Metal, two genres with two very distinct audiences. While one can put a certain ratio on the shoegaze-to-metal influence on their first record, shoegaze being the benchmark influence, that ratio could be reversed for New Bermuda. What makes Deafheaven Deafheaven remains at more than their core on the record. Blissful and romantic melodies still arise out of the darkness (i.e. the piano piece at the end of “Brought to the Water”), but whatever you thought might have been missing from the band’s sound has been found. It is impossible to dispute their gloomy nature, especially with the added chugging to most portions of the record. What makes the balance so unique is that the blackest moments of the record are as deep and euphoric as its more innocuous notes. “Luna” may just be the records standout track, encompassing the past and present into a 10-minute opus. Like any Deafheaven song, the lyrics screamed by George Clarke are unintelligible, but the beauty within them remains. Unlike Deafheaven, the guitar begins the song with a violent chugging riff. At this point you may think they are following the heavy metal formula, which is where you’d be wrong. The drum fills and Clarke’s squeals build to an ultimate noise bravado until it almost completely collapses. That is when the tremolo becomes most present, as the music’s tone softens and evens into a smooth rhythm. For the finale, the song closes with the band’s signature shoegaze heft and lyrics that would have its listener reach out to give Clarke a comforting hug (I imagined the overcome and fell to my knees/Before the endless truth of instability and futility/Now I know). Throughout New Bermuda, Clarke’s smooth yet aggressive tone is less of a focal point than it is an added layer of sound. Unlike other metal lead vocalists, Clarke does not take pleasure in the spotlight. He instead understands his role by adding poetry and grit to every measure he presents himself. It is the ultimate middle finger to the metal fans who have refused to call Deafheaven a metal band. Yet, at the same time, New Bermuda, a bleak and black record that connects is a complimentary record to Sunbather, a lush atmospheric record with a For those who seek to compare the two records, consider the Yin-Yang symbol. Think of Sunbather as the darkness within the light. New Bermuda is the light within the darkness.
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