They're Burning

This album, with lengthy title I will henceforth refer to as When You See the Smoke, came out in October of 2015.  I passed on it for a myriad of possible reasons, most likely time restraints.  I sample pretty much everything that passes through my inbox, and it is easy to see how just listening to a minute or two of anything from The Black Heart Rebellion will fail to yield a full picture of the genius happening here.  But that is just what this is.  Every now and then lightning strikes and leaves behind something utterly unique and out-there.  This is one of those times.

While many will be initially drawn in by the (excellent, haunting, choose an adjective) single, "Body Breakers," this may very well be the most traditional piece of post-metal on the album.  From the sorrowful drone of "Near the Fire For Bricks" to the avantgarde ambiance, tribal drumming, and sporadic vocals of "Om Benza Satto Hung,"  there is a wide variety of aesthetic to be found; all held together with a certain folkiness.  The vocals have the world-weary feels of a depression-era bluegrass band.  This paired with the various stringed instruments, indigenous drumming, and thick reverb make When You See The Smoke a truly emersive experience that leaves one pondering their very existence.

There is a great weight to every word that is impossible to ignore.  The rising level of bile and harshness to the vocals on "Flower Bone Ornaments" in particular made my hairs stand on end.  It's like Mumford and Sons if they ditched the major label, lived off the land, and solely made tracks like "Broken Crown."  Each note, every instrument, seems meticulously placed in these subtle, slow, progressive trudges through the waste.  You know those days where you wake up and the world already seems to be compressing the air from your chest?  This is the soundtrack to those times.

While the music here is certainly unlike anything else I have heard in 2015, or perhaps even in the last few years, it's not without precedent.  I hear glimmers of various acts:  Tool, Pink Floyd, Mumford and Sons, Seer, various sludge acts, etc.  If any of those things appeals to you, I highly recommend you check out this album.  Albums this slow often bore me to tears, but something about The Black Heart Rebellion is just so damn engaging.  It's not all exactly party shuffle material, but tracks like "Violent Love" are heavy in their own impressive way.  Stream the album below and please support this group in getting more attention.