The debut album is an exciting and terrifying prospect all at once. On one hand, it is the first glimpse into an artist’s sound and creative mind. On the other, some debuts show the performers working out the kinks and sanding out the rough edges on the fly. In the case of Russia’s own Dunwich, a gothic post-metal trio hailing from Moscow, their debut record Tail-Tied Hearts is a cornucopia of styles, as they blend progressive, black, death, sludge, and more into a surprising and successful release. Across eight tracks, the trio, led by namesake Margarita Dunwich, stare deep into the souls and senses of themselves and leave no corner untouched.
We start with “Glow,” shimmering in with an organ-imitating synth. A clean guitar picks up and down a restrained lick as Margarita’s voice settles into the mix. When the rest of the band kicks in, we’re treated to walls of sound, layer upon layer of guitar trilling and singing, before the track ebbs back to the soft-spoken intro riff. “Through the Dense Woods” starts off sludgy, with talk-sung verses and a methodical pacing. The vocals soon go from talk-sung and chanted to bellowed and barked, an almost black metal edge to the whole bloody affair, which is met with octave riffs and the typical blackened regalia. In this track and the following “Solitude,” Margarita pulls off a one-woman beauty and the beast to great effect, as her softly sung vocals lie deeper in the mix than the growling which takes its place at the front. Said track starts off with a sweet and subdued clean guitar lick, before getting into fuzzy, moody territory on all fronts.
“Wooden Heart” is best described as uncanny, as it has a certain sway to it that’s borderline whimsical. The beat is different, the guitars ring a certain way, and the chords go just a bit off-kilter when it counts. The follow-up “Mouth of Darkness” starts off living up to that moniker, with a pipe organ before an upbeat, damn near Ghost-like intro riff. It has that pop-metal meets arena rock whimsy to it, with enough bite to it to make it fashion. The organ sticks around for a while, but returning are Margarita’s hissed vocals in some sections of this energetic, psychedelic-leaning track. Just as the changing of the season its name invokes does, “Fall” represents a shift into darker, sludgier realms, and in a cinematic and slow-burning fashion to boot. The guitar work of Anton Bronikov cannot be understated here, as his cleans sound so fresh when called upon, and his heavier riffing decimates when the wrecking crew needs to be sent in.
The penultimate “Sanctuary” brings back the beauty and the beast motif, but not before an ominous intro full of looming synths and careful chords with barely-there distortion usher in this dirge. Again, there are elements of black metal in places, but it never goes full kvlt, instead employing these techniques to create a dissonance that adds to the fullness and richness of the track. Closing the disc is “The Sea,” an intro that manages heaviness in the least traditional sense. Odd guitar lines, a uber-present bass guitar, and a tinny synth lick make sure this one goes out in style.
A striking debut album overall, Tail-Tied Hearts show that this new force that is Dunwich is one to be reckoned with. Fierce and unafraid to play with the concepts of metal as we know them, this three-piece has hit a vein this time, and may they do so even more effectively the second time around, whenever that may be.
Tail-Tied Hearts is available now via Caligari Records.
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