Review by Saxy S for Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013)

Before Deafheaven's 2013 sophomore album Sunbather was released, the genre that we now know as "blackgaze" was still very much in its early development; the word "blackgaze" being simply a compound of black metal and shoegaze. Anchored by an artist such as Neige and his bands Alcest and Amesoeurs, the tag of blackgaze could best be described as "shoegaze with black metal elements". And I can completely understand why, if you were a fan of heavy aggressive nature that the title "black metal" suggests, blackgaze wouldn't have been your cup of tea.

Deafheaven decided to flip that script with their "black metal first, shoegaze second" approach to the genre. And it helped them out...for better or worse. The band's 2013 sophomore album Sunbather is one of the most discussed records of the entire 2010s decade, period. It will also most likely go down as that decade's most important metal album based on cultural impact alone. Before you've even started listening to "Dream House", some metal purists would be shocked and disgruntled by a bright pink album cover that could not be missed. What about Boris' Pink?

But enough about the albums history, how does it stand up as a piece of artwork? Well it certainly is eclectic. I know why this album is deemed controversial and why the typical consensus is either complete infatuation or outright disgust. I see myself on the former side of the aisle, but I do see flaws within and it is important to highlight them.

For one, unlike most black metal (including early blackgaze), the major key harmonies are jarring. For a genre that is viewed as having a generally cold atmosphere, why did Deafheaven create something so warm and longing?

For a blackgaze record, it does not really meet too many of the qualifications that title would suggest. Shoegaze is typically very slow, dreary and, as its name suggests, invokes bending your neck forward and looking down at the floor. This record is far more uplifting than that. Lots of fast tempos, blast beats and ferocious howls from George Clarke. It is more reminiscent of something you might hear in post-metal or atmospheric black metal. The jarring dichotomy of the two emotions together create a one of a kind heavy metal experience. "Dream House" is still my favourite Deafheaven song, but the beautiful song structures and formatting of "Sunbather" and "Vertigo" make them instantly recognizable. Unfortunately for me, the album does lose steam near its conclusion; the major harmonies of the first two/three songs vanish with "The Pecan Tree".

One thing that I greatly appreciate from the world of atmospheric black metal is the song structures. This is still a black metal record first and foremost, but you have to give your listeners a moment of reprieve; to collect their thoughts before the next wall of sound assault comes the listeners way. Deafheaven get that, and while their are some really long songs throughout the project, none of them feel "long". Quite the contrary, in some cases, especially on "Dream House", "Sunbather" and "The Pecan Tree", the songs almost end prematurely. "Vertigo" by contrast starts with clean guitars and soft percussion and evolves into distorted tremolo picking, blast beats and Clarke's shrieking. The album also includes some separate interludes as well, including the very pretty "Irresistible", the unsettling intro before transforming into acoustic guitar strumming on "Please Remember", as well as a spoken word interlude on "Windows" just before the finale. That last interlude does not really add much to the overall experience in comparison to the other breaks.

On a record such as this, production is key. You do not want the mix to become overwhelming when everyone is playing this fast and all at the same time. Thankfully that does not seem to be very much of an issue during the instrumental passages. Some of the electronic elements, most notably the first section of the interlude "Please Remember" sound really cheesy. Also, Clarke's vocals always feel as if they are being drowned out in the mix. Perhaps par for the course in this branch of black metal, but something that may have been overlooked.

So who is this album for? It's major harmonic song structures make me believe it is meant to be more mainstream "accessible" black metal. The vocals suggest otherwise. As a black metal album, it is solid as well, but as mentioned at the start, some metal purists just don't like change and they will dismiss this record simply based on principle. Deafheaven found themselves between a rock and a hard place with Sunbather, an album meant to please everybody, but perhaps found themselves more isolated than before...at least initially. Rest assured, with bands like Alcest still around, as well as new faces such as White Ward, Sylvaine, and Harikari For The Sky(?), Deafheaven expatiated the process for a new wave of heavy metal. I think we should bask in its rays.