ALBUM REVIEW: The Colossal Sleep – Deeper Graves
Jeff Wilson usually deals in far more scabrous fare than that of his DEEPER GRAVES project. Having spent much of the past two decades playing in a host of black metal and adjacent bands, including CHROME WAVES, CONTRITION and ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, his latest solo project finds him exploring the worlds of post-punk, shoegaze and alternative rock. It’s worked out pretty well so far, with 2020’s Open Roads marking a well-received and accomplished debut. The Colossal Sleep picks up where that record left off, with six more tracks of dark and dense gothic goodness.
While there’s nothing particularly metallic about it, there’s no question that The Colossal Sleep is still a heavy record. Rather than blast beats and tremolo-picking however, this comes in the form of a thick, mostly synth-laden atmosphere. A couple of guest vocals aside, Wilson handles absolutely everything here, right up to the record’s engineering, mixing and mastering. He does an impressive job on all counts, with the album capturing a weighty grandeur that lands somewhere between the 80s post-punk of bands like THE CURE and BAUHAUS, and VANGELIS’ iconic Blade Runner soundtrack.
After the spacey slow-build of album opener Feverish Dreams, the rubber really hits the road with second track Escape Velocity. It’s here where Wilson shows arguably what DEEPER GRAVES does best, leaning into a driving and moody goth rock feel. The track features the first of two guest vocal spots from LOTUS THRONES’ Heath Rave, who delivers despondent lines like “I’m hoping to leave behind this earth/Set it on fire and watch it burn/Because now that you’re gone nothing’s the same” over urgent drums and reverb-drenched guitars and synths. Rave appears again on the album’s fifth track Corridors, arguably providing the record’s finest hour in the process. Another more up-tempo goth rock number, the late 90s/early 00s PARADISE LOST comparisons are both inescapable and welcome here.
Much like Open Roads, The Colossal Sleep proves again that DEEPER GRAVES is no one-trick pony. For example, third track In Cold Blood musters more of a slow-moving industrial stomp. It’s grim and dystopian, with Wilson’s sneering vocals adding real bite and menace. 15000 Lives which follows takes the edge off a bit, this one leaning more towards shoegaze in its ponderous instrumentation. Elsewhere, closer Distant Fires wraps everything up nicely, its eight-minute-plus runtime boasting suitably massive synths that lend an epic note to the record’s finale.
If there is a criticism of The Colossal Sleep, it’s that it may feel a little disjointed. Admittedly there is something of a thematic through line to the album’s six tracks, not least a general gloomy weight, but it is hard to shake the feeling that each song kind of stands alone, rather than working to serve the album as a whole. That’s definitely a nit-pick though, and if anything it’s proof of the strength of each individual track. The variation also ensures that the album never drags, even if the songs themselves often move quite glacially. A 35-minute runtime lands pretty perfectly as a result, with plenty to keep listeners interested throughout.
Ultimately, The Colossal Sleep is another solid record from DEEPER GRAVES. It draws from some tried and tested sounds and styles, with Wilson proving an adept hand at just about everything. Perhaps a little more consideration to flow would elevate it to a truly great record, but there’s not much to complain about when the overall execution is as strong as it is here.
Rating: 7/10
The Colossal Sleep is set for release on January 28th via Disorder Recordings.
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