Band:	Deafheaven
Album:	Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Style:	Shoegaze, Atmospheric black metal, Post-metal
Release date:	July 2018

01. You Without End
02. Honeycomb
03. Canary Yellow
04. Near
05. Glint
06. Night People
07. Worthless Animal

The band purists love to hate for not being black metal enough and being way too blissful-sounding doubles down by being way more blissful.

What can be said about Deafheaven that hasn't been said before? Blackgaze titans loved by lots, hated by lots, with an undeniable impact on the metal scene. Sunbather and especially its cover art will forever be branded into metal culture. The album served as a gateway for many people into metal, similar to the likes of Linkin Park in the early 2000s. Despite being preceded by the likes of Alcest and Lantlôs, they are the face of blackgaze. While the genre itself entered its downward stage, Deafheaven will endure.

Last we heard from Deafheaven, they delivered their most straightforwardly black metal album yet, New Bermuda, although even the most straightforwardly black metal Deafheaven album is far from being conventional. Now that they've gotten that out of the way, it feels like they no longer feel the need to prove their credibility to anyone; instead, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love feels more passionate and genuine. In addition to that, they seek to move their sound forward a bit.

For starters, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love features more clean singing to go hand-in-hand with the more toned-down approach to a lot of songs, where the more melodic and dreamy shoegaze and post-rock sounds are in charge. The black metal moments still slightly outweigh them, but it's comforting to hear Clarke using more of the range of his voice than his usual shrieks. Accompanying him you'll hear more voices, from Nadia Kury on "You Without End" to Chelsea Wolfe on "Night People".

Just like on previous records, the impact of the music relies heavily on the juxtaposition between the blissful guitars and the shrieking vocals and the occasional blasts. Nowhere is this as prominent as the opening track, which starts feeling almost like a Queen song with the major piano and the Brian May-esque guitars, and then Clarke's screams come into play. And the album is full of Explosions In The Sky-esque tremolo picking, soaring crescendos, and riffs that feel either obviously black metal or straight out of a '70s hard rock song. The dynamic songwriting capabilities make having to sit through four different 10-minute-long epics feel organic and engaging. The shorter two songs see Deafheaven completely toning down their metal sound to completely flex in lighter territories without feeling like mere interludes.

Though I can't find any words to justify the cover art, the music beneath it finds Deafheaven at their most content with who they are. Hazy and blissful more than ever before, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love will not persuade any nay-sayers, but will further cement Deafheaven's place among the most significant artists of the decade. Enjoy eternal bliss.