This Portland-based band plays a stormy version of goth-infused rock that carries some heft that sometimes feels like a cross between Switchblade Symphony and Swans. The hypnotic throb of the tribal drumming and taunt guitars provides the web over which Kelly Correl's voice crawls. There is plenty of dynamic ebb and flow, with witchy vibes swirling around the cauldron of brooding. "Low" is more simmering. Three songs in, it's pretty clear they have hit the sweet spot on two fronts; they are sonically heavy, and they are so dark that it equates to heaviness. The guitars and drums factor in with both of these qualities.
There is more of a post-rock feel to the spacious wandering atmosphere that is "A Greene Heart". They hang on the chords and drums create a droning pound over them to create a more Swans-like effect. They continue from a more song-oriented style to a more expansive focus on the dense bath of sound they are pouring over you that grows both darker and more abstract on "The Twelfth Thread". Kelly's voice continues to belt it out, but in a less focused manner. It is more ritualistic.
"The Burrow" has a more post-rock drift to its ambiance, which employs a more minimalist use of the reluctant drumming, leaving it to a subdued patter compared to the churning stomp of the previous songs. The vocals do not seem to adhere to a traditional verse-chorus format. The guitar steps up to give more of a rock backbone to "Cavern of Souls". She wails over this in a more commanding fashion as the guitar swells. The last song, "Crackedlands" took a couple of listens to sink in. It opens with deep ambiance that washes over everything in a dark and droning manner. Her voice pleading out into this shroud of sound. Moody and sonically impressive I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me.
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