• Best of 2020
  • Monthly Missive
  • Columns
    • A Gift to Artwork
    • Cool People Column
    • Death’s Door
    • Doomsday
    • Editors’ Picks
    • Genre Genesis
    • Grind My Gears
    • Into the Pit
    • Kvlt Kolvmn
    • Post Rock Post
    • Rotten to the Core
    • Unmetal Monthly
  • Genres
    • Metal
      • Black Metal
      • Death Metal
      • Doom Metal
      • Grindcore
      • Metalcore
      • Post-Metal
      • Progressive Metal
      • Stoner Metal
      • Sludge Metal
      • Thrash Metal
      • Trad Metal
    • Rock
      • Art Rock
      • Hardcore
      • Indie Rock
      • Math Rock
      • Post-Rock
      • Progressive Rock
      • Psych Rock
      • Punk
      • Shoegaze
      • Stoner Rock
      • Synthwave
    • Classical
    • Electronic
    • Folk
    • Hip-Hop
    • Jazz
    • Pop
    • R&B
  • Reviews
  • Listen To This!
  • Podcast
  • Store
  • Contact
Search
Heavy Blog Is Heavy logo
  • Best of 2020
    Random
    • Doomsday - 2020 In Review

      Pete Williams
      January 25, 2021
      Best of 2020, Doomsday
    Recent
    • Music Journalism’s Top 50 Metal Albums of 2020

      Nick Cusworth
      February 9, 2021
    • Yearly Missive // 2020

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 25, 2021
    • Heavy Blog’s Favorite Albums of 2020

      Heavy Blog
      January 25, 2021
    • Unmetal Monthly // 2020 In Review

      Jonathan Adams
      January 25, 2021
    • Heavy Blog Guest List – Dawnwalker

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 25, 2021
    • Genre Genesis // Album of the Year Edition 2020

      Heavy Blog
      January 25, 2021
  • Monthly Missive
    Random
    • Monthly Missive // January 2021

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 4, 2021
      Monthly Missive
    Recent
    • Yearly Missive // 2020

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 25, 2021
    • Monthly Missive // December 2020

      Heavy Blog
      December 7, 2020
    • Monthly Missive // November 2020

      Heavy Blog
      November 9, 2020
    • Monthly Missive // October 2020

      Heavy Blog
      October 5, 2020
    • Monthly Missive // September 2020

      Heavy Blog
      September 2, 2020
  • Columns

    Recent

    • Unmetal Monthly // 2020 In Review

      Jonathan Adams
      January 25, 2021
      Best of 2020, Unmetal Monthly
    • Death’s Door // 2020 In Review

      Jonathan Adams
      January 25, 2021
      Best of 2020, Death's Door
    • Kvlt Kolvmn // 2020 In Review

      Jonathan Adams
      January 25, 2021
      Best of 2020, Kvlt Kolvmn
    • Into the Pit // The Best (And Worst) Years for Thrash Metal

      Joshua Bulleid
      January 25, 2021
      Best of 2020, Into the Pit
    • The Void Screameth // Goodbye 2020

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 25, 2021
      The Void Screameth
    • A Gift To Artwork // 2020 In Review

      Karlo Doroc
      January 25, 2021
      A Gift to Artwork, Best of 2020
    • A Gift to Artwork
    • Cool People Column
    • Death’s Door
    • Doomsday
    • Editors’ Picks
    • Genre Genesis
    • Grind My Gears
    • Into the Pit
    • Kvlt Kolvmn
    • Post Rock Post
    • Rotten to the Core
    • Unmetal Monthly
  • Genres
    • Metal
      • Black Metal
      • Death Metal
      • Doom Metal
      • Grindcore
      • Metalcore
      • Post-Metal
      • Progressive Metal
      • Stoner Metal
      • Sludge Metal
      • Thrash Metal
      • Trad Metal
    • Rock
      • Art Rock
      • Hardcore
      • Indie Rock
      • Math Rock
      • Post-Rock
      • Progressive Rock
      • Psych Rock
      • Punk
      • Shoegaze
      • Stoner Rock
      • Synthwave
    • Classical
    • Electronic
    • Folk
    • Hip-Hop
    • Jazz
    • Pop
    • R&B
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Atramentus - Stygian

      Simon Handmaker
      September 2, 2020
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Humanity’s Last Breath – Välde

      Calder Dougherty
      February 12, 2021
    • Nervosa – Perpetual Chaos

      Pete Williams
      February 12, 2021
    • Dawnwalker – Ages

      Eden Kupermintz
      January 4, 2021
    • Deftones – Black Stallion

      Joshua Bulleid
      December 16, 2020
    • Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost

      Pete Williams
      December 7, 2020
    • Tombs – Under Sullen Skies

      Pete Williams
      December 7, 2020
  • Listen To This!
    Featured
    • Hey! Listen to Let Us Prey!

      Joshua Bulleid
      July 28, 2020
      Listen To This!
    Recent
    • What We’re Really Listening To – 2/26/21

      Scott Murphy
      February 26, 2021
    • Release Day Roundup – 2/26/21

      Scott Murphy
      February 26, 2021
    • Release Day Roundup – 2/19/21

      Scott Murphy
      February 19, 2021
    • Hey! Listen to Froglord!

      Pete Williams
      February 12, 2021
    • What We’re Really Listening To – 2/12/21

      Scott Murphy
      February 12, 2021
    • Release Day Roundup – 2/12/21

      Scott Murphy
      February 12, 2021
  • Podcast
  • Store
  • Contact
Home
Reviews

Brume – Rabbits

Jordan Jerabek
November 29, 2019
Reviews

A couple years back, bay area doom trio Brume caught some ears with their fantastic debut LP, Rooster. The Billy Anderson-produced effort put them on doomsters’ radars with an enjoyably dark, psychedelia-tinged brand of slow and low. Since then, few records have seemed to zero in on the unique concoction that Brume had basically mastered on their first full-length. Whether it’s the collective tastes trending toward doom of blackened or traditional-leaning varieties, Brume’s latest release Rabbits kind of feels like an outlier. The three-piece is simply too contemporary and evolved to go the bluesy doom route, their aesthetic and temper have far more in common with the post-metal stylings of Amenra than a more bread-and-butter Iommian disposition.

From the get-go, “Despondence” achieves that oh-so-sought after balance of melody, space, and weight; but Brume execute it with the effortlessness of a brushstroke, encapsulating a vast range of beauty, fluidity, and boldness. From the ghostly serene opening moments (which call to mind Angelo Badalamenti’s work on Twin Peaks or even a bit of that creepy twang from that latest Orville Peck record) to delicate flow and build to the initial plateau to the twist at about the closing minute, “Despondence” sets the bar for Rabbits’ profound depth, one that approaches YOB-like levels of attention to detail, where glints of light become perceivable through the impossible depths of murky doom. Vocalist/bassist Susie McMullan’s voice lends a dreamy varnish to the album, where she weaves in and out with unthinkably soft croons as skillfully as she delivers with full-bellied power. She even takes on hints of Chrissie Hynde on “Autocrat’s Fool,” offering a well-appreciated note of attitude. When paired with guitarist/vocalist Jamie McCathie (as in “Scurry”), they conjure some captivating (and moving) interplay with voices that blend superbly.

Rabbits certainly has a West Coast doom flavor. Brume frequent psyched-out and hazy headspaces, and they couple it with a crafty post-metal vision for navigating to and through them. The atmospheric dimension of their sound is as crucial as the physicality of their voluminous, riff-centric moments, hanging a substantial gloom on the back of every bludgeoning passage. With Rabbits, Brume manage to counter every bit of soul-compacting heft with just enough heady introspection that elements like the adventurous “Blue Jay” can feel like a reasonable pivot from the record’s most conventional track, “Scurry.” The latter is a track that descends down a more familiar occult doom path ala a Holy Grove, Witch Mountain, or Windhand, but the former is a decidedly non-standard offering where prominent piano and cello features displace gigantic roars of distortion. “Blue Jay” feels like the most complete blend of dramatic post-doom this side of Giant Squid, and it’s a worthy centerpiece to the record. 

“Lament” keeps Rabbits’ post-y momentum rolling as Brume unfurl it with white-gloved care, each musical idea is given proper attention and delivery, undercutting its 11-minute runtime. Drummer Jordan Perkins-Lewis’ style elevates this feeling with playing that’s often reserved, but with astute ability to complement dynamics and pick points for rhythms beyond an archetypal crawl. There’s ample room for McMullan’s vocals to sprawl and vine through each song. Similarly, McCathie’s playing takes advantage of Brume’s roominess with leads that swirl and glimmer in tune with their careful atmospherics.

Brume pick up right where they left off on Rooster and have stepped their game up to new, awe-inspiring levels. Rarely does doom come together so beautifully without sacrificing heft or getting caught up in the riff. Late-in-the-year albums like Rabbits are what make so many folks champing at the bit to get their best-of lists out look downright foolish. Consider this an essential listen before you close the books on your 2019 doom faves, friends. 

…

Rabbits is available via Magnetic Eye Records wherever you can get your filthy paws on it.

Comments

AmenraBrumedoomgiant squidHoly GroveOrville Peckpost metalpost-doomWindhandWitch MountainYOB

About The Author

Jordan Jerabek

Behold, the power of cheese.

Related Posts

  • Humanity’s Last Breath – Välde

    Calder Dougherty
    February 12, 2021
  • Nervosa – Perpetual Chaos

    Pete Williams
    February 12, 2021

Patreon

Ko-fi

Podcast

All the Heavy Lifting

Latest Reviews

  • Humanity’s Last Breath – Välde

    Calder Dougherty
    February 12, 2021
    Music is cyclical. Beyond the obvious patterns of write-record-release and press runs and tours and merch drops, there ... Read More...
  • Nervosa – Perpetual Chaos

    Pete Williams
    February 12, 2021
    It’s always cool to see bands grow and change over time. There are many different ways that can happen. It could mean a... Read More...
  • Dawnwalker – Ages

    Eden Kupermintz
    January 4, 2021
    Here's an age-old truth: fragile beauty is something that is aesthetically magnetic. The idea of the weakness, the flee... Read More...
  • Deftones – Black Stallion

    Joshua Bulleid
    December 16, 2020
    White Pony (2000) was the record that first introduced electronics into Deftones's sound. It is therefore suitable that ... Read More...