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AlbumREVIEWS: 'New Bermuda' by Deafheaven
New Bermuda came after Deafheavenâs skyrocketing debut, one that changed the way we talk about metal now
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New Bermuda came after Deafheaven's skyrocketing debut, one that changed the way we talk about metal now.
After the success of Sunbather, New Bermuda felt like it could only go down, but say all you want about Deafheaven's innocuous treason, these guys make beautiful music that transcends all the snark that they might elicit later.
Boy, is it beautiful. One thing you should know about New Bermuda before hitting the play button is that it's not Sunbather. Sunbather flirts with sunny music, even straight-out guitar-pop (hear 'Irresistible'). New Bermuda is louder, more menacing, but never loses its head throughout the 50 minute run.
Black metal guitar-interplays between Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra à la Slayer, awesome drumming from Daniel Tracy and George Clarke's monolithic rasps bite their way to 'Luna' and 'Brought to the Water'.
But what these two songs have in common (and have become pretty commonplace in Deafheaven songs) is the ugly-to-pretty dynamic. Six minutes into 'Luna', the key suddenly changes and it becomes a lulling atmospheric anthem. It then goes back to loud, cascading guitar later on.
You'd argue that this is exactly what Sunbather sounds like, but this time around, the contrast is less audible. 'Baby Blue' also continues this style, although this time the transition is the opposite quiet-to-loud. Having no interludes gives the record a sense of cadence; it bangs your ears out and couldn't care less about giving you breaks.
And you're not going to want any breaks, because somehow in this darker soundscape, New Bermuda still makes you want to air drum and air guitar, especially in 'Gifts of the Earth' (beautiful piano outro, I might add).
My favorite on this record is 'Come Back', which after the first listen almost brought me to tears. Midway through the song, the guitar sort of sounds like a marching band, with a Metallica-esque riff. Clarke's vocals are another highlight; he not only screams, but also sings voraciously. To talk about the coda on 'Come Back' really needs a whole paragraph, but I'll give you just a couple of words: country and Oasis. Make what you will of that.
Since Deafheaven is pretty much a metal band and Clarke never really uses his chest-voice to sing, it's easy to see how the lyrics might be overlooked. But look, they're great. A trip to the website genius will show you lyrics like 'God had sent my calamity into a deep space / From which not even in dreams / Could I ever imagine my escape,' and 'The remainder of my humanity is drifting spit through the cold / sitting quietly in scorching reimagined suburbia.'
Looking into Clarke's background ' growing up poor, as described in Sunbather's highlight 'Dream House' ' it's easy to see why this guy had something to say. New Bermuda suggests, at least to me, that the lyrics are of equal importance to the music they accompany.
Let's recap: great band, great music, probably not 100 percent metal but it doesn't matter. New Bermuda, however, is another story. It's a progression to a peak. It's not just an essential metal album, it's not an essential shoegaze album and it's not an essential crossover album. New Bermuda is one thing and one thing only: an essential album.
