ALBUM REVIEW: Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night – Night Verses
It’s not often that an instrumental band sees widespread reverence from metal’s mainstream. Recently, however, NIGHT VERSES have done so effortlessly. September 2023 saw them rid themselves of the shackles of obscurity, unveiling Part 1 of their fourth full-length album, Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night. Brimming with polyrhythmic complexities, that actually made the album’s name sound straightforward, the court of public opinion rightfully crowned Part 1 as a shining triumph. It’s a bold, dynamic, restless piece of work that explores almost every flavour of modern virtuosity – and now there’s more. Part 2 brings seven new tracks, three guest features, and, ironically, a lot to say for itself.
To play the devil’s advocate – though Part 2 is, yes, a sublime extension of an already expansive piece of work – was it actually necessary? These are doubts that will likely arise given Part 1’s well-rounded nature but are swiftly put to rest the moment this weighty behemoth rolls over and reveals the true extent of its majesty. While Part 1 could have equally stood on its own as a worthy feat, it is arguably given new life in contrast to its successive counterpart.
The album’s first half is entirely instrumental – a prog metal playground where NIGHT VERSES stretch their legs and build upon the work of 2018’s From The Gallery Of Sleep – the band’s first truly wordless record. The seven tracks sit perfectly balanced between contemplative post-rock passages with spritzes of ‘guitar metal’, neither getting lost in their rolling soundscapes nor becoming grossly self-congratulatory in their artistry. Arrival, in particular, is an urgent, explosive sign of things to come from the tracklist. Following the monstrous drum-masterclass opener 8 Gates Of Pleasure, Arrival lets no second go to waste with siren-like guitar wails punctuated with thunderous chugs that swell and shrink on a knife’s edge.
Elsewhere, Rose Wire and Love In A Liminal Space show off the band’s more delicate persuasions, leading listeners with beautiful, and in the latter’s case, haunting sequences that delve into the depths of progressive, psychedelic hell. Karma Wheel and Bound To You, however, wield a refined brutality. NIGHT VERSES have always conjured madness but the heft of this album’s less forgiving moments will leave all in desperate awe. Climaxing in the serenity of Seance, with the aided low-end of TOOL’s Justin Chancellor wielding bass, Part 1 provides the perfect primer for what is to come.
Opening the doors comes Plague Dancer, a frenetic corkscrew affair that feels like a spiritual successor to Arrival’s rivalling insanity. This, however, is where most similarities end. Sure, Part 2 is drawn from the same ilk as what came before but it serves a much different purpose. Each feature, in particular, drives Part 2’s stylistic leanings with a firm grip. Aska, featuring one-man-band-and-legend AUTHOR & PUNISHER (Tristan Stone), drenches itself in space-age sludge, wading through a contemplative mire of distortion and astral fuzz. Vocals are then gifted by the likes of Brandon Boyd (INCUBUS) and Anthony Greene (CIRCA SURVIVE) on Glitching Prisms and Slow Dose – both giving Every Sound… a flavour of shoegaze and art rock that widens the overall palette and provides a well-rounded emotional resonance.
That’s not to say Every Sound… would be devoid of devotion without such features – far from it. The aforementioned haunting of Love In A Liminal Space is a mere fraction of the terror evoked in Pheonix V Invocation – the final moments of which genuinely stand to the shuddering dread of life’s unavoidable closure. None of the above would be possible, however, without intelligent, purposeful writing, the skill with which to perform it, and the engineering mastery to give it breath. Every Sound… is more than up to the task of all three and is an encouraging surge forward on an already shining discography.
Few moments do see the band drag their heels like Crystal X’s wonderfully performed, albeit slightly derivative nods to ANIMALS AS LEADERS and Desire To Feel Nothing’s rather jilted ‘breakdowns’ that will leave necks confused rather than sore. It speaks volumes, however, that such superficial matters would be the album’s weak points – otherwise, Every Sound… is something to be proud of.
Finely tuned and expertly executed, instrumental metal has long needed a true champion to ride the pondering dunes of RUSSIAN CIRCLES and the weaponised fret hammers of ANIMALS AS LEADERS. NIGHT VERSES is that champion and Every Sound… is that proof. Very few bridge this gap with such ease and, if an empty can truly does rattle the most, then NIGHT VERSES’ silence speaks louder than any of their formidable setpieces.
Rating: 9/10
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night is set for release on March 15th via Equal Vision Records.
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