Of course, such jeering during that time period was just preposterous. Sunbather and it’s respective follow ups, 2015’s New Bermuda and 2018’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, where very much metal records of extreme metallic intensity inter-speckled with moments of esoteric melodicism.
However, it could be suggested that such naysayers where somewhat factual in their claims and Deafheaven where never a metal band to begin with. Not because of their experimental take on the blackgaze genre defying restrictive and banal genre limitations, but because the band where actually fearlessly articulating their concepts through the language of thrillingly contemporary extreme metal. Now it appears they have validated such claims. With their fifth full length Infinite Granite, Deafheaven have cut the pretence and removed the extremity from their work almost entirely by making a shoegazing post-rock record.
The unveiling of such a pivotal change of direction was, understandably, met with alarm and more-or-less agitation from listeners. Some expressed swift judgement and made cliched claims of ‘selling out’ whilst others harbouring contempt towards their take on the genre felt validated in their beliefs. However, as a complete body of work, Infinite Granite is undoubtedly a Deafheaven record in spirit and feels like the next logical step for the band. It would have been easy to continue down the blackgaze path and to regurgitate the same ideas and concepts exercised in the past, but it’s clear – now irrefutably clear – that Deafheaven aren’t a band to retread ground out of convenience.
Opener ‘Shellstar’ instantly establishes the overall tone, mood, the blanketing feel of the record and the integral changes Deafheaven have conducted on their ever evolving sound. Initially reserved and placid, the track’s floral guitar swirls bloom into buzzing swathes of shoegaze that invoke feelings of electrified warmth that’s strongly comparable to the Shelter era of Alcest. ‘In Blur’ and the colossal ‘Great Mass Of Color’ continue in this trend, with great tidal swells of shoegazing ambience and velvet-like textures shimmering with beauty and allure.
But despite such musical placidity, it’s clearly evident that there’s a level of emotional threat and dire urgency under such swirls. The emotional intensity of their prior work has been transplanted flawlessly into this record and the new tonal shift allows the band’s collective viewpoints on life to be viewed in a haplessly engaging and fresh way. The aforementioned ‘Great Mass Of Color’ is fantastic proof of this. Pushing and pulling over it’s duration, the track crescendos into one of the few blackgaze orientated passages to be found on this record in a way that’s alarming and entirely unexpected. It’s a leveller of a moment, one that truly showcases that this change of direction for the band is a success.
Whilst the piercing, anguished torment of George Clarke was the primary focus point of their prior work, the translucent and gorgeous guitar work of Shiv Mehra and Kerry McCoy is very much the jewel in Infinite Granite’s proverbial crown. The record sprawls forward like a vibrant drapery composed of voluminous textures, with the duo’s work evolving consistently over the course of the record in a fashion that’s fluid, organic and immediately both mentally and spiritually provoking. Following on from the ambient synths of ‘Neptune Rains Diamonds’ – the group’s first foray into the realms of synthetic electronics – ‘Lament For Wasps’ is without question one of the record’s most engaging and varied moments. An ebb and flow of post-rock atmosphere and riff focused guitar work that would feel naturally at home on the records that predate this, the track is to Infinite Granite as was ‘Honeycomb’ to Ordinary Corrupt Human Love or ‘Baby Blue’ to New Bermuda. It’s the anchoring point to the record, the album’s most immediate track and the most varied and shifting moment to be found here. It’s simply impossibly engaging and effervescently beautiful.
Of course, some would be happy to know that the blackgaze and vocal torment has not been entirely scrubbed from Deafhaven’s vocabulary. However, instead of the being the primary focus within tracks, they are incorporated as additional layers and textures that only heighten the emotional animation present. ‘Villain’, one the more reversed and introspection tracks here, features a ferocious lashing at it’s devasting climax and ‘Other Language’ teeters precariously into the band’s blackgaze torment all whilst sounding sun-blessed in tone.
Ultimately, it’s the final moments of the record that see Deafheaven diving back into the turbulent waters of the genre. Following on from an entire record of ethereal majesty, the track metastasizes into total melancholic violence in a way that’s almost reminiscent of the forefathers of the black metal sound. It’s a sudden, entirely unexpected eruption of carnage, one that almost see’s Deafheaven compressing all the vigour from Sunbather into a singular three minute finale. But yet, it’s majestic and a haymaker of a payoff – one could easily skip to this moment, but without the record as a whole harbingering it, the emotional strike would be misunderstood. It’s also at this moment where one can understand that Deafheaven has never been a metal band. Instead, they’ve just fearlessly utilised the genre as a means to authentically articulate their concepts in the most impactful and legitimate way.
It would be easy to enter this record with pre-existing judgements. After all, for a band of this magnitude to entirely pivot their sound is totally unorthodox. However, not only have Deafheaven successfully navigated a tonal shift that could derail another act’s career, they’ve effortlessly adapted their sound in a way that feels completely natural. Much like Sunbather, Roads To Judah and the rest, Infinite Granite is very much a record that will linger in your mind well after it’s close. It’s a record that will be probed, explored and analysed for years to come, and ultimately, it’s a majestic record that only solidifies Deafhaven as one of the most exciting and unique bands to be found in guitar based music.