The complaints about “A Great Mass of Color” came so quickly that they might as well have been included in the press release. Metal fans expressed distaste for the modulated guitars, relatively subdued drums, and clean vocals. Any hopes that the single was a one off were dashed by the next two advanced tracks. Metal purists had already decided that Infinite Granite was going to be one of the worst records ever. Longtime fans expressed their distaste for their new direction.

Now the record is out, and the greatest fears about the album have been realized. Yes, there is a near absence of screamed vocals. Yes, there are fewer moments of blistering metal catharsis. But I will say now what I said when the first single was released:

Aside from the vocals, this is what Deafheaven has sounded like the entire time.

Infinite Granite leans further into shoegaze and post punk influence than ever before, but it’s nothing new. Many guitar moments are reminiscent of The Cure, but these moments have weaved through their entire career. Just look at “Baby Blue,” from New Bermuda, their most straightforward metal album to date. Besides the screamed vocals, it sounds very much like a song from Infinite Granite. Since the singles were released, this track has been my rebuttal to anyone claiming that the new songs sound like a totally different band.

While none of the elements on this album are new to Deafheaven’s sonic palette, their approach is a bit novel. In a way, it sounds like an unplugged record, but more in the way that Octahedron by The Mars Volta was an unplugged record than Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. The songs are still mostly played on electric instruments with a full band, but there is a quiet introspection that informs the record, even when the album gets heavy.

And the album does get heavy. Third single “The Gnashing” is classic Deafheaven, save for George Clark’s vocal performance. In context of the record, it is preceded by “Villain,” which erupts with a wall of guitar noise and screamed vocals. In “Lament For Wasps,” shredded black metal guitars and double-kick drum pattern accompany anthemic clean vocals. Album closer “Mombasa” opens with a finger picked acoustic guitar line and closes with blast beats, tremolo guitars, and some of the most aggressive screams Clark has ever delivered.

In the end, even the darkest, harshest moments of this record won’t make the purists happy. But the purists have been whining about Deafheaven ever since Sunbather blew up. As far as fans of Deafheaven go though, this is a stunning addition to an already legendary career.

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Album Design by Nick Steinhardt