ALBUM REVIEW: Silence/Motion – Blackwater Holylight

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT return with their third album in four years, the ever-surprising Silence/Motion. But will they be able to keep the momentum going on their third album, or will they burn out after a crucial line up change?

Is there a band who has been so instantaneously embraced by their peers as BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT? Taken under the wings of MONOLORD and YOB, they’ve toured all over the country with doom legends. Continuing this trend, Bryan Funck of sludge outfit THOU takes backing vocals on the first track, to terrifying effect, and Mike Paparo (INTER ARMA) and ALN(MIZMOR, HELL) also lend guest vocals to the record.

The result is an album that feels more cohesive and collaborative than BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT have ever sounded. The band interplays with each other to poetic effect, creating a gloomy atmosphere that is consistently heighted by Allison (Sunny) Faris‘ dreamlike vocals. 

Catharsis and grief are huge themes in this album, born as it was from so much chaos in the world. However, as much as they dip their toes into dark and heavy themes, the record remains light, shoegaze tinged and often catchy – proving that if you’re BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT you really can just have it all.

Drawing as much from freak folk as they do from metal, there are flavours of COMUS in the unhinged quality of the vocals – sounding like a trip that could turn bad at any point. Elsewhere, black metal makes an entrance in the thickness of the sound as furious guitar lines collide with thick drum production and rumbling bass.

Album closer Every Corner spices things up in the tempo department, its punk-infused double time break sure to be the highlight of any live set. The title track is an album standout too, a beautifully stark depiction of dissociation in the wake of a sexual assault. 

It’s easy to see why this band has so many fans from within the scene – BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT take heavy music and twist and turn it in ways no one has really done before. They’re paving the way for a new generation of psychedelic doomers, and this record’s relentless drudgery and gloom is sure to capture the hearts of all who go to see the legendary doom bands who are already BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT’s biggest fans.

Rating: 8/10

Silence/Motion is out now via RidingEasy Records.

Like BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT on Facebook.