Deafheaven were formed in California back in 2010 and from their very first album release called “Roads to Judah” they caught the eye due to their unique sound alloy in which they perfectly combined shoegaze and post rock with extreme black metal elements. Since then, three more studio full-length albums followed with the band receiving excellent reviews and establishing themselves in the top bands of post-black metal sound. The experimentation between the different tones was more and more intense in their records until 2021 finds them releasing a brand new album named “Infinite Granite” through Sargent House label and finally Deafheaven goes… full shoegaze.
The album consists of nine tracks, the largest number of tracks ever released by Deafheaven in a single studio album release, and its total duration is about one hour. Catchy, dreamlike, psychedelic melodies flood the entity of the songs which, in combination with the exceptional vocal lines, make you want to put every single song on repeat again and again. George Clarke has utilized his clean vocal skills and his whole vocal range proving he is an outstanding singer. In addition, great work has been done on the sound and effects of the guitars, boosting the whole sound result to a higher level. The drum performing is, once again, exemplary even in the new Deafheaven’s softer music style.
The pattern is the same in almost all of the compositions, melodic calm parts are followed by peaks which in some songs are accompanied by fainted screams in the background, the only thing left to remind the old Deafheaven’s main vocal style. The only exception is the fourth track which is a three-minute instrumental filler. The ensemble of the record is excellent and I can hardly single out some favorite songs like “Shellstar”, “In Blur” and “ The Gnashing” that have been playing repeatedly since the first day I received the new material. Somewhere here it’s worth mentioning the surprise that awaits the listener at the outro of the album “Mombasa”. In the first half it sounds like the softest ambient and most atmospheric song of “Infinite Granite” but shortly after the guitars become distorted and the blast beats start marking the heaviest part of the whole album, leaving you wondering if it’s intentionally left at its end.
It’s worth everyone who adores shoegaze, post rock, even the darkest and most extreme metal sound to hear this album. Although we are just after the middle of the year I can say with confidence that “Infinite Granite” is already one of my favorite releases of 2021 and that I definitely love and admire the evolution in the Deafheaven’s sound.
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