At a time when heavy metallic has mutated and advanced into so many various shapes that even the time period “post-metal” feels reductive, it’s onerous to slap the time period on anybody — particularly, er, post-metal pioneers Deafheaven, whose uncommon fusion of screeched vocals and blast beats with towering, majestic guitars and mild interludes have at all times made them onerous to pin down. Now 15 years into their profession, the band had made a tough left of their sound with 2021’s “Infinite Granite,” which discovered singer George Clarke dropping the goblin shriek and singing in a extra typical, dare we are saying different type. It was a worthy experiment, however truly eliminated one of many key components that made them so totally different, and with “Lonely Folks With Energy,” he’s again to shredding his larynx about 90% of the time.
“Return to type” could be very a lot the vibe right here, and any followers of the band’s stellar trio of 2010s albums (“Sunbather,” “New Bermuda” and “Strange Corrupt Human Love”) will discover a lot to like. However that doesn’t imply they’re repeating themselves: It’s a extra refined sound, the towering textures of the guitars are extra rigorously crafted than ever, and the softer moments are extra frequent and efficient. There’s additionally extra selection, with Clarke slipping into spoken passages extra typically and visitor vocals from Paul Banks of Interpol and Jae Banks from darkwave duo Boy Harsher. Former Beck bassist Justin Meldal Johnson (Wolf Alice, Paramore, M83) is again behind the boards, weaving the devices right into a tropical cyclone one minute and a tidal pool the following. There’s one among their trademark closing opuses, this one titled “The Marvelous Orange Tree,” that’s so epic in scale it nearly feels just like the soundtrack to the ultimate scene of a movie.
But probably the most exceptional factor about this band’s sound is the best way the whirlpool guitars and bass meld with the hyper-fast beats and Clarke’s vocals right into a trebly, unified sound that will nearly be like ambient music if it weren’t so aggressive. Diving in is like an ice bathtub that shocks at first, however then is incongruously enjoyable and peaceable.
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