By:
Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 05/09/2017
Label: Relapse Records
The
guitars are thoroughly dissonant and murky, the bass is husky and drums
voluminous. Then there are the vocals, which feel like they're being delivered
with the sort of urgency of someone trapped at the bottom of a deep well. The
whole composition of the record is just magnificent for doom fans.
“Portals into Futility” CD//DD//LP track listing
1.
Eidolons and the Increate
2.
Lathe of Heaven
3.
Demon Haunted World
4.
Pyrrhic Victory
5.
A Crown of Desolation
The Review:
Portland's
Usnea is known and loved for a few things. These include
its unique doom metal sound, ambitious concepts and sprawling music. Its 2014
four-song recording, "Random Cosmic
Violence," clocked in at about an hour. Its self-titled 2013 debut
contained two tracks on vinyl, with download code for two songs comprising 25
more minutes. And although the genre is rather renowned for its density, with "Portals into Futility"
ticking in at just under an hour, Usnea demonstrates aptitude
for music with a rare depth.
After
its release, there were murmurs that "Random
Cosmic Violence" did not deliver the oomph of Usnea's debut.
Some of that clatter could well be chalked up to what follows promising acts that
go from independent labels to big independents like Relapse.
Critics pointed to a wilder vocal style in the debut sliding into a
two-vocalist approach that could be seen as formulaic at turns. Exciting
moments there were, but subtle questions amped up some of the tension.
"Portals
into Futility" is a solid return to form for a
young band widely expected to do great things. There are also hints of
maturation for its songsmithing. Along with the longer tracks – two songs
compose about half the playing time here – that allow this imaginative group some
musical space and are cuts that seem
indicative of a crew that is open to test itself and the genre itself. Such
courage is rather exhilarating, and makes for quite a frenzied trip.
Usnea's return starts with "Eidolons and the Increate,"
for which there is likely a fantastic backstory or other mythology. Heavy of
the sludge, you may also notice some post-punk and funeral doom influences
herein. Joel Williams and Justin Cory are back on vocal duties,
and they seem far sharper this time around. They manage to keep the opener – at
12 minutes in length, you might ponder the wisdom of this kind of beginning –
very dynamic. Usnea's bass and drums are a stand out early
too. Credit the tight arrangement and what seems to be an evolution of Usnea's performance. Such advancement is to be expected for
a group that sticks together after a few years. You similarly hear this
progression in this next track, "Lathe
of Heaven," a compact song that is a good example of why many have
seen so much potential in Usnea. From a relaxed
build with an almost Americana or desert vibe, Usnea
plunges you into a far less hospitable place just before the three-minute mark.
The guitars are thoroughly dissonant and murky, the bass is husky and drums voluminous.
Then there are the vocals, which feel like they're being delivered with the
sort of urgency of someone trapped at the bottom of a deep well. The whole
composition is just magnificent for doom fans.
The
terror continues with "Demon
Haunted World" then to "Pyrrhic
Victory," where the vocals alternate between Williams and Cory. If
you enjoyed them together on "Random
Cosmic Violence," you will most assuredly find their work on the
latest leaps and bounds better. The vocal pairing feels more clearly formed and
executed on the latest. If you did not love it last time, you may well be won
over by Usnea's growth. The production on "Portals of Futility" is
flawless across the board, and lyrically and vocally there is no exception.
This is top-shelf doom metal sure to excite fans.
The
album's closing, "A Crown of
Desolation," is arguably the best, and the most perplexing, cut. The
folk-flecked chords hurl the listener headlong into a thick wall of guitar. As
noted, Usnea is not afraid to test itself, and this
song breaks away from its characteristic vocals to offer ghostly choruses and
ultraheavy bass lines that press hard on your mind. Over the track's 19-plus
minutes, you will catch the aforementioned folk chords and choruses again, and
more of what makes the quartet so good, and a few departures from what you've
heard throughout. Finishing with a standard doom track with slow guitars and howling
vocals might have been a perfectly satisfying way to wrap. Instead you get a
song befitting its place at the conclusion of the recording.
"Portals
of Futility" is available here
