by Tyler KilletteThough Sunbather doesn’t necessarily break new Deafheaven ground, the San Francisco twosome manage to deliver greater precision, intensity and extremes of style on their sophomore full-length. Vocalist George Clarke and songwriter/guitarist Kerry McCoy achieve a more ambient black metal sound by incorporating elements of melodic hardcore, post-rock and post-metal into the 60-minute odyssey.
Noisy stretches of fuzzy layered guitar tremolos and dizzying dive-bomb riffs are carried on rapid-fire rhythms or more deliberate undulating drumbeats, the sonic mood shifting sharply into lighter pretty interludes of melancholic piano and dissonant echoing axe solos before returning to more propulsive realms littered with industrial effects and crescendoing climaxes. Amid the heavier passages, Clarke mulls over feelings of grief, lust, hopelessness, dying and insecurity in tormented roars, screeches or drones, his unintelligible vocals adding an intriguing layer of texture while not competing with the instrumentals for dominance.
The duo’s studied knack for evoking parallel feelings of distress and euphoria is most evident in 11-minute closer, “The Pecan Tree.” Blaring black metal with intense breakneck drums transitions abruptly into a keys-driven haze of simple graceful melodies, only to launch into the song’s third and final segment, a slower roiling post-rock-flavored riff on the opening progression. The potent track is a reflection of the entire album’s dichotomy – periodically lifting you up to reveal snippets of light, only to suck you back down into darkness. (Deathwish)
