Deafheaven – Roads To Judah

• Country: United States
• Style: Black metal / Shoegaze
• Label: Deathwish Inc.
• Release date: 26 April 2011

The Judah of the title is not biblical. It is the N Judah, a San Francisco train line where much of the lyrics were written, and once you know that, Roads To Judah starts to sound like a commute through fog at four in the morning: windows streaked, city lights bleeding into one long smear.

Four songs, about thirty-eight minutes, recorded with Jack Shirley. “Violet” rises out of a drone into blasting and bright, ringing guitar; George Clarke’s voice sounds like it is calling from the far end of the carriage. “Unrequited” is the ache in the middle. A debut that already knows where it wants to go, even if the road there is still being paved.

Best tracks:

Violet
Unrequited

Author’s rating: 7.9/10