ALBUM REVIEW: The Rains Will Cleanse – Chrome Waves

In a post-Sunbather world, blackgaze has taken an unlikely ascent into mainstream consciousness. Unusual bedfellows they might be, but it seems that for many people black metal elements give shoegaze a much needed ‘edge’, while the shoegazing style ameliorates that buzzsaw approach to tone which black metal often suffers from. Perhaps (on paper) it shouldn’t work, but bands like ALCEST, DEAFHEAVEN and AN AUTUMN FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN have gone above and beyond to prove the credibility of this unlikely fusion.

In their wake there is a sea of imitators: black metal bands arming themselves with delay pedals; shoegaze bands sporting their Transilvanian Hunger t-shirts. It is difficult to rise out of the Bandcamp mire, but CHROME WAVES have managed it. Originating from Chicago, the band released an EP in 2012 before waiting seven years to release their first full-length: a ripple and then a splash. A second soon followed (the superb Where We Live) and, a year to the month, The Rain Will Cleanse now arrives.

Despite their name (a nod to one of RIDE’s singles) CHROME WAVES approach blackgaze with a black metal background: a more mid-paced and swinging take on it, but black metal all the same. As they’ve progressed, the band have gradually diminished those elements, and, with The Rain Will Cleanse, they reach a vanishing point. From the outset, this record has the airs of something more sophisticated: CHROME WAVES demonstrate that they are capable of some dynamic restraint here, and not just sonic maximalism.

Switching to an exclusively clean vocal style was a good decision. That half-screamed, half-sung dynamic has, for better or worse, overtones of the post-hardcore Warped Tour scene, which CHROME WAVES now do well to avoid. They communicate that characteristic grief-stricken angst effectively, and we can imagine this album would pair well with any dissociative episode.

The shimmering, cold beauty of the guitars is threatened by the brightness of the drums in the mix – especially the snare – and this does tend to spoil some of the more majestic moments which they create. If you are less easily distracted perhaps, then there is some pretty undeniable material here: the gothic rock overtones found on Sometimes, as well as the airy chorus on Wind Blown, are especially captivating. The steady exhaustion of Aspiring Death, which reprises some harsher vocals, marks the album’s conclusion with an all-out show of intensity reminiscent of their previous work.

It is difficult to dislike The Rain Will Cleanse, but we do wonder if it has an audience. The absence of discernible ‘metal’ elements would normally swing the album towards the shoegaze camp, but the still-nascent handling of the dynamics (and unruly percussion) is likely to be met with a disapproving sweeping of the fringe. There is much more character in stylistic ambiguity, and you cannot fault CHROME WAVES for that. It feels like The Rain Will Cleanse is on the precipice of excellence: a head-turner, if not a head-banger.

Rating: 6/10

The Rain Will Cleanse is out now via Disorder Recordings (Cassette/Digital) and Transcending Records (CD/Vinyl).

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