Deafheaven - Sunbather (Album Review)

This album is epic. The instrumentation is great. The vocals are well placed and well done. The flow is good. Sunbather is the all around win for Deafheaven, a group who continues to stump people with their sound. They have combined elements of metal, black metal, shoegaze, and rock in a really interesting way. The seven song album with the majority of the songs clocking in around or over ten minutes is a wild ride. The songs feature tempo changes and dynamic flow. The screaming can often sound mixed and buried in the music and it is sometimes used as more of an accent than standing in the forefront of the music (see "Vertigo"). While at other times such as in "The Pecan Tree" it is part of the driving force.

"Vertigo" one of my favorite tracks from the album clocks in at little over 14 minutes and it is a great representation of the flow that the album has. The length might sound daunting to listen to but it really isn't. It has a flow that keeps it fresh. It can be hard at times to make out what George Clarke (vocalist) is screaming. If you read along with the lyrics you come across quite a few intriguing and interesting lines. "Vertigo" has tons of interesting lyrics. A couple of which I found really interesting and well written were "Lost in the patterns of youth and the ghost your aches comes back to haunt you" and "A slave to reality under a monarch in the sky." It's almost mind baffling how good this band has become on Sunbather. The group’s debut album Roads To Judah was good but Sunbather finds the group delivering a gem of the highest quality.

I really searched for one thing I thought the band could have done better on this one and I really couldn't find much. It does everything it needs to and exceeds expectations in almost any category I would judge it on. I guess the only thing I can say that might hinder it is that it isn't for everyone (most music isn't), but albums like this are especially hard to find mass appeal due to the nature of the songwriting and tend to find their true heart in the underground. That being said there is a lot here that could appeal to most music fans. If you aren't a fan of screaming vocals I'd say listen to some of the fantastic guitar playing. "Dream House" features quite a few really awesome guitar parts and I tend to find a lot of the catchiness of the album in the way the guitar was done. Kerry McCoy (guitarist) does a great job writing parts that really drive the songs and helps define the mood and vibe of the songs in a really awesome way. The guitar on the album can sound melodic, heavy, epic, soft, and loud. It just works on so many levels and it helps create a catchiness to the songs that is really interesting.

Like I said Deafheaven isn't for everyone. Sunbather and Deafheaven in general is an acquired taste. If you do find yourself inclined to check it out with open ears and an open mind I think you'll be able to hear this band has created something special. I think at this point it is the best heavy album I've heard all year long. It will easily make my top 10 of the year list. In an age where a lot of heavy music to me just lacks that something special in my opinion it's nice to hear that something special was put into the writing of Sunbather. I highly recommend this album.