It's safe to say that the Arizona's Holy Fawn is one of the hottest names in the blackgaze/modern post-metal genre since their absolutely mind-blowing debut release Death Spells. It's been four years and they are finally back (although not in Europe as their tour got canceled which is my biggest music regrets of this year) with another fantastic album called Dimensional Bleed.
It seems that they decided not to change much since their debut. The music of the band oscillates around heavy but very modern-feeling sounds and delicate, Nothing-like vocals. Honestly, in some places, the album sounds like Domenic Palermo's journey into the new metal or even trap-like land of wonder. It sounds familiar but also extremely fresh, with changes of pace, metal music ornaments in the background (so well-done in Death Is a Relief) and electronic special effects. It's not very illuminating to say that this contrast between the metal and the dream pop in their music is what compels me so much here. And although many artists do so (and the whole blackgaze genre is all about it), Holy Fawn reinvented this approach, making the dreamy vocals extremely dreamy and being able to make them still very clear in the metal mayhem.
It's especially true when the delicate turns into total chaos, as it is the case in Sightless' loud and mad finish. No wonder that they are advertised as a "physically tethered to this reality, yet creatively unmoored from any earthly restraints" band who is free to do whatever they please. But it's always within this unreal, intimidating but also very satisfying atmosphere.
Dimensional Bleed costs 8 USD.
Check: Death Is a Relief
Country: Arizona, US
Genre: modern blackgaze
Label: Triple Crown Records
