It’s a metal site, and with that comes descriptions of music that makes it feel like your head might be coming off. And that’s part of the reason we’re here. Just as alluring can be heavy music that gets inside your pores, then into your veins, making you able to visualize the intent of the music. It suddenly makes you realize you’re elsewhere.
“Not Here Not Gone” is the perfect title for an album that steers you in and out of reality. It’s Blackwater Holylight’s fourth record and first in five years since 2021’s “Silence/Motion.” It enables you to get inside the psyche of the music and travel within its sonic pathways as they stretch out their own universe into something richer. The band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Sunny Faris, bassist/guitarist Mikayla Mayhew, drummer Eliese Dorsay—got assists from former member Sarah McKenna (synths), as well as violinist Camille Getz, and that serves to make these songs more full bodied. Past records reminded more of dusty terrain while under the influence. This record puts more emphasis on the skygazing, staring deep into the stars and deepening the bleeding psychedelia.
“How Will You Feel” starts feeling gungy, the singing floating, keys glazing as the verses remain moody. The pace turns punchier as guitars gush into a melodic fog, Faris calling, “How will you live without me?” as the images fade. “Involuntary Haze” is dark and driving, singing lulling, the crunch feeling weightier as the chorus strikes. Riffs give off smoke as Faris’ vocals spiral, an immersive storm sweeping up everything into a blur. “Bodies” is burly and heavy, the singing icing over the verses, turning dreamy during the choruses that chill cells. The pace is catchy and sticky, the riffs soaking in the aftermath of torment, guitars battering away at wounds before subsiding. “Heavy, Why?” simmers in steam, the singing pulling you into the clouds, cosmic dashes clashing with mesmerizing keys that make your face feel drowsy. Atmospheric pressure builds, opening a path for the guitars to scorch and snake through psyches. “Giraffe” is a quick instrumental track that features beats from David Sitek (TV on the Radio) and loopy psychedelics from the band that make it feel like you’re in a suspended state of animation.
“Spades” tears in, guitars slicing, a burly pace grinding as doomy power makes a deep impact. Metallic energy swelters, synth swooping in and sparking dreams, the drums driving as everything gets filthier and leaves bruising that won’t subside for weeks. “Void to Be” opens with bass gusting, softer singing that’s still direct, and the darkness flowing through the creators like vessels. The pace trudges, light beaming through the din, strings layering in newfound colors, and the intensity ramping up before slipping into a chasm. “Fade” begins elegantly and more gently, easing its way to the inevitable eruption, grungy fire exploding from chrome exhaust pipes. The track turns more reflective, gazey guitar work bubbling violently to the surface, coating wounds and flowing into an old-time music sample that makes you feel like you’re in a carnival. “Mourning After” prods as the bass chunks, washing through warm guitars and a numbing essence that lets your body open. The playing hypnotizes, the singing breezing amid gusty melodies, churning and slipping into space. Closer “Poppyfields” begins ominously, slowly turning toward space, hovering as the drums lash and Faris’ singing turns celestial. Synth cools as things shift darker, drums digging deeper, the haze helping you levitate. A dreamy push navigates ethereal vocals, aching strings, and a slow trickle to the end, which travels into a void, anything waiting on the other side.
Blackwater Holylight’s transformation into a more fully realized entity on “Not Here Not Gone” is something to behold, as they sound as complete and channeled as ever on these 10 songs. It won’t be a foreign world to those who have followed the band, but it will be evident that new colors and ideas are flowing, and it’s only made this band more powerful. I liked this album upon first listen, and each subsequent led to more appreciation for the music and a deeper willingness to travel the full extent of these adventures.
For more on the band, go here: https://blackwaterholylight.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://store.suicidesqueeze.net/products/blackwater-holylight-not-here-not-gone-pre-order
For more on the label, go here: https://suicidesqueeze.net/
Meat Mead Metal 