Clouds Collide: "All Things Shining"

Black gaze did not die. Sure Deafheaven had a lot to do with this , but it seems the sub-genre is getting another shot. Shoe gaze in and of its self gained ground last year. Here is a project that comes from a more polished neighborhood when it comes that this sort of dreamy affair. To their credit
never has a projects name done such a stellar job of conveying what they sound like.

From the beginning there is a shoe-gaze shimmer with almost Death Cab For Cutie like vocals hover in. It's not until the second song that the harsher vocals come in, which are really the only thing with a edge to it. The blast beats are the under current as the vocals moan in a abstract path over in. Think the Deftones here. If you are not keeping track the songs do tend to run together. At almost 12 minutes there is more dreamy floating than metal. While the melody becomes more defined at times the blast beats become so much of a blur for their own good though this only happens briefly.

It  drops down to a lullaby pace on "Every Drop of Rain" , but this is really more of an interlude than a song unto itself. Instead it's a jumping off point for the song "Blossom" to blossom out of. the clean vocals are more focused than most bands of this ilk where they are way back in the mix and monotone. I was able to keep the Alcest comparison out of my head until "Perihelion". It's the sections that are not black metal where this projects creativity is allowed to flourish. When it comes to black metal this is not as special. The blast beats are just like any of a hundred black metal bands . This is at its best in the swelling build of "Eternal Warmth" that is much close to post- rock until the screaming comes in. The last song "Only You" feels like the end section of the previous song.Overall I like where this stands out against both its influences and its peers  Not afraid to use clean vocals as an instrument, I'll give this one a 9 and see how it grows on me. Its overall effect catches you by surprise at the beginning then has to find new ways of using the colors which it generally does and the stunning moments compensate for the more run of the mill riffs.