Loss comes in many forms, not always in the death of an important person in your life. It could be the dissolution of a relationship, an artistic partnership ending, a personal defeat. The result can be devastating, especially if it does revolve around one’s demise, and the grief and tumult can be overwhelming.

Grayceon’s amazing sixth record “Then the Darkness” feels like you’re diving right into the middle of a sea of madness, trying to figure out a way to carry on in the midst of a life-changing event that shakes you to your core. Over 11 tracks and nearly 70 minutes, the band—vocalist/cellist Jackie Perez Gratz, guitarist Max Doyle, drummer Zack Farwell—pours its progressive darkness in generous amounts, leaving hearts exposed, blood flowing from ravaged veins. There also is time for reminiscing, wondering, hoping, and mourning over an album that feels half as long as its running time and finds Grayceon as explosive and richly expressive as ever before. It’s a gem.

“Thousand Year Storm” opens warbling and spacey before things detonate, Perez Gratz’s shrieks peeling back bone, her singing floating along with the carnage. The cello ices as the playing grows more progressive, Perez Gratz wailing, “Tell them I am not well at all,” as the final punches land. “One Third” crunches, the singing sweltering, piling up rugged corners as melodies work to smooth the jagged edges. The force is blistering, howls punishing, the struggle cresting and lapping. “Velvet ‘79” has the cello wrenching, fluid playing coating your mind, Perez Gratz calling, ” It’s like a hazy dream, it’s like a velvet touch,” over the alluring chorus. Things feel fuzzy and psychedelic, the electricity charring as old memories work through dreams, an emotional pull gripping before dissipating. “3 Points of Light” dawns with metallic riffs, the crunchiest so far, and things swamp and swagger, adding a true rock n roll sense to the concoction. The singing swells as the riffs charge up, the more upbeat tempo and tones giving off a sense of nostalgia. “Mahsa” is the 20:02 centerpiece, a track that starts sorrowfully, Perez Gratz repeating, “I … I will kill … whoever killed my sister.” The playing plods as darkness falls and the tempo bruises, cello bringing an elegance and a power surge, guitars tracing as Perez Gratz sings, “When you find me, you’ll know I am the sun.” The playing is wondrous and also digs deeply, the pace changing and toying, slipping into the shadows. The melodies sail before the playing jars again, the guitars glimmering and fading into time.

The title track is an instrumental piece with cello powering, dark and melodic strains getting into your bloodstream, and everything swimming into 12:29-long “Forever Teeth” that immediately pulls you to a new vision. ” I stand on this shaky ground, but I want to stand up for my beliefs, and it’s all oh so bittersweet,” Perez Gratz levels, continuing to add different hues. The tension builds and grows more fiery, Perez Gratz howling, “Love! Lies!” as the pathway turns doomier, angling through existential wounds, coming to a sweeping and dramatic end. “Song of the Snake” sneaks in, dusty pathways pummeled, the heaviness taking charge and squeezing hard. “Ceasefire!” Perez Gratz howls, surely unaware when she wrote those words how relevant they would be right now. The storms hit harder, the drums crumble, and the tension rises before disappearing. “Holding Lines” has the drums bruising and strings teasing, the playing chugging as Perez Gratz calls, “I’m here where you are.” The blows land harder as Perez Gratz asks, “Why can’t we hold the line?” which could be taken as why can’t we make an effort to keep people safe? It’s ominous and cosmic from there, washing into the distance. “Untitled” has gentle, hushes tones, cello rippling, the melodies gliding and easing into a rustic atmosphere. Things get heavier as the strings stitch everything together, the guitars finally liquifying. Closer “Come to the End” blasts in, immediately grabbing your attention, Perez Gratz wailing, “Do you really think I would ever walk away from you, my love?” There are easier moments and other where the force bustles anew, shrieks tearing, the elements giving off thick smoke, Perez Gratz declaring, “As above, so below,” as the tornadic elements cool and fade. 

“Then the Darkness” is one of the most ambitious and, at the same time, heartfelt records in Grayceon’s illustrious catalog, and this is for anyone lost, looking to pick up the pieces, and simply trying to survive. It might be tough to dedicate an entire listening session to this album, but you really should make time, put away everything else, and absorb this. The music is heavy and enchanting, the emotions are human and raw, and this is a journey we’re all going to take at some point, so it’s a gift to have music that so brutally relates.

For more on the band, go here: https://grayceon.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/grayceon-collection

For more on the label, go here: https://translationloss.com/