Review Summary: Perfectly blending familiarity with innovation, Greyhaven demand your attention with another instant classic following 2018’s Empty Black
It’s difficult to listen to a new Southern Metal record without acknowledging the fact that Every Time I Die is no more. It’s even more apparent when a band like Greyhaven wears that inspiration so proudly. Fortunately, there’s so much more to this band unlike most that slip into copycat territory. Greyhaven finds structure inside all of the chaos that permeates throughout every track. Following up 2018’s breakout record
Empty Black is a tough order in and of itself, but
This Bright and Beautiful World realizes the ideal combination of familiarity and innovation to give us one of the best metal records in recent years.
Aside from “All Candy”, the front half of this record is blistering. “In A Room Where Everything Dies” is pure madness from the start and doesn’t let go. “A Painful and Necessary Action” highlights Greyhaven’s infectious melody to make sense of all the disarray. “More and More Hands is an instant classic that has a monolithic chorus and ferocious screams throughout displaying one of Brian Mills’ finest vocal performances. “The Quiet Shakes” and “And It’s Still Too Loud” also incorporate the band’s quintessential fusion of heaviness and melody.
Just when you thought you heard everything, “Of Snakes and Swans” delivers one of the best anthemic southern metal choruses in recent memory. The final chorus slows down midway through and hurls the listener into a goosebump-induced beatdown. “Foreign Anchor”, one of the three singles, is another high point on the record with the most frenzied guitar sequences that somehow sounds expertly controlled.
There are a few slower tracks on this record, and they’re all additive to the experience. “Fed To The Lights” and “Ornaments From The Well” prove that Greyhaven are more than just another Southern Metal that solely embraces the disorder of bands of old. Instead, they display the band's originality and diversity in a scene that desperately needs it. Though many felt sour after the release of the first single, “All Candy”, the song itself fits the flow of the record much more than as a standalone track. Without a doubt, every track on this record is sublime.
This Bright and Beautiful World gives us everything we wanted and everything we didn’t know we wanted. Personally, those are usually my favorite types of records. Some artists don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Like
Empty Black, this record is a complete piece of work that is infinitely replayable. There is something mystical to this band that I cannot put into words. Greyhaven deserves so much more recognition than they have, especially in a post-ETID world. Simply put,
This Bright and Beautiful World is a masterpiece.
