Deafheaven – ‘Infinite Granite’ [Album Review]

If you’re a fan of San Fransisco’s Deaf Haven then you should know that, with each release, the five-piece are going to thoroughly challenge your preconceptions of what you thought they were about. Infinite Granite, their new offering, is no different.

From effortlessly blending black metal with indie and shoegaze throughout their career, the band has turned that completely on its head for Infinite Granite an album that is, for the most part, devoid of anything you could ever class as metal. However, as the likes of opener “Shellstar” wash over you, it’s hard to ignore the fact that, even without that black metal heartbeat, Infinite Granite is unmistakeably Deafheaven. A huge collection of songs, Infinite Granite sways between calmer, gentle moments into soaring banks of post-rock. Songs like “In Blur” ebb and flow from serene passages to more epic sections while “Villain” takes that soothing, calming blueprint that has been the basis of this album and builds it up into one of the record’s few “screamy” outbursts.

Love it or hate it, Infinite Granite is the sound of Deafheaven being Deafheaven. If you’re a true fan of the band, it won’t take you long before the beautiful sounds of this record get under your skin. While there are still faint splashes of the black metal fury woven into the sound, the majority of Infinite Granite couldn’t at the furthest point from that. Tapping more into the Radiohead-esque moods of their sound, Deafheaven, in keeping with all of their work to date, has created a piece of art that will simply leave you speechless.

Infinite Granite Track Listing:

1. Shellstar
2. In Blur
3. Great Mass of Color
4. Neptune Raining Diamonds
5. Lament for Wasps
6. Villain
7. The Gnashing
8. Other Language
9. Mombasa

Run Time: 53:35
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Record Label: Sargent House