August 2020 Feature Release - The North Edition

It's now August which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. Ben & I will certainly be contributing & we look forward to hearing your thoughts too.  

This month's feature release for The North is 2013's controversial sophomore album "Sunbather" from San Francisco blackgaze leaders Deafheaven. It saw the band becoming the major talking point of the extreme metal scene for quite a while with audiences aggressively & passionately divided on this release's creative merits due to its pink album cover & glisteningly accessible take on the black metal sound. We're keen to hear which side of the fence you fall on & how significant you feel this record really is in the context of black metal as a whole.

https://metal.academy/releases/1325

I've previously submitted a review for Sunbather, so I'll summarise. Blackgaze is quite a divisive sub-genre of black metal, owing more to post-metal than black metal in a lot of cases. For me I find it is one of the metal genres that gives me the widest possible reactions, from wholly positive to inutterably negative. It is a sub-genre that, it seems to me, has very little margin for error. Like a high-wire walker, if the band get it wrong, then they crash and burn horribly. Fortunately Sunbather is one of the better Blackgaze albums, but with it's pink cover and positive vibe, it's never going to find favour with the legions of the trve. Me, I like it and it's great for when I want something a little more mellow, but with a bit of a black metal edge. Like just now, actually. In fact it's a perfect black metal Friday feeling of an album!

I've never been able to understand the hatred for this record. It's very close to being a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned & is clearly the best example of the blackgaze subgenre that I've experienced. Sure there are some sweeter melodies than you'd usually associate with black metal but they're nicely counter-balanced by some searing aggression. The musicianship is excellent & those screeching vocals really do it for me. It's just such a professional package all round.

4.5/5

Just shared my review. I had a lot to say so let me be brief:

Sunbather is a record that shocked a lot of people when it came out. Hell, it's still controversial even to this day. Some "metal purists" do not like the idea that their favourite genre is commercializing. They can't stand change. But change can be for the better. I believe that Deafheaven created the most culturally significant metal record of the 2010's and a great one to boot. The major chordal harmonies found within are truly spectacular and unlike anything I've heard in any strain of extreme metal. The atmosphere is warm and uplifting rather than cold and brooding. It is flawed for sure, but its unique charm almost makes me lenient by default.

8/10

P.S. If you like this new wave of blackgaze, may I suggest giving artists such as White Ward, Sylvaine and Unreqvited a chance as well.