Style: Post-Metal, Atmospheric Doom Metal, Progressive Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Messa, Elephant Tree
Review by: Doug
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 24 November, 2022
Let’s talk about negative space: the parts of art that are absent. The parts undrawn, unwritten, unsung. With notable exceptions (such as John Cage‘s infamous 4’33”) this aspect of art is less often explored in music where physical and artistic boundaries are less defined and it can be challenging to separate empty internal space from plain old silence. With painting and its conventions of form and color, it’s more obvious to say that a block of white delineates the main focus or adds a sharper edge to a graceful curve. In music, a portion of silence denotes not an edge, but rather a unique color in the palette, distinct from any positive mix of instruments. Instead of a border saying “here is where the music begins and ends,” the quiet moments of music inspire their own kind of feeling, and provide a reminder to stay conscious of those same unfilled moments throughout life.
More than many other artists, Downriver Dead Men Go revel in the emptiness of their work, amplifying and exalting those lightly-filled spaces in between the heavier and more active moments. The beginning of “Line in the Sand,” for example, hangs as long as possible in between its haunting piano chimes, letting the reverberations fill the air and then fade. As the song builds, gradually adding vocals, percussion, and guitars, the new additions fill these empty spaces, laying out a deeper and heavier post-doom soundscape that, by contrast, makes the beginning feel even lighter and emptier. This track represents the archetype of the kind of musical structure Ruins aims to assemble, with slow and subtle acoustic openings that give way to more substantial climaxes.
That elusive substance draws heavily from the guitar parts, deeply distorted and equally inclined to chug or to hold long notes. Where the other instruments have a tendency to drown in reverb, the multilayered guitar parts ring more clearly, lending presence to DDMG’s otherwise ethereal sound. Even here, however, the straightforward rhythms produce an emptiness of sorts; the amplitude of the sound may be greater, but there is still relatively little complexity to consume the listener’s attention. Even at its most intense, Ruins invites its audience to relax and to bask in the lonely whispering soundscape.
One problem with the resounding emptiness, though, is that it can be hard to tell different moments apart. The album lacks unique features that could help distinguish each track from the others, which makes for a homogenous and sometimes forgettable listening experience. Here and there a lonely guitar solo shines through the fog, but after a few listens, the opening three tracks as well as “Cruel World” blend together into mostly a single impression of hazy guitars, synth-strings, and vocals, with subdued piano and drums laying out long, steady phrases of rhythm. All in all, this predominant style is well-crafted and as a complete album listening experience it should satisfy those seeking bleak atmosphere, but Ruins does not leave the listener with strong standout impressions of individual moments or tracks.
This kind of quasi-minimalist expression requires a delicate balance of presence and absence. In the midst of the truly, beautifully barren moments of “Line in the Sand” and “Cruel World,” I do feel immersed in the musical void which DDMG have cultivated. But too often throughout Ruins, I feel that the lively moments don’t sufficiently balance out the empty spaces in between – that the negative space serves too little as accent and too much as a gap between one phrase and the next. If the mood appeals and you let it fully enfold you, you may find something to appreciate; if not, Ruins does at least provide a soothing experience as it flows past.
Recommended tracks: Line in the Sand, Cruel World
You may also like: Latitudes, The Angelus, Helen Money, Ode and Elegy
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook
Label: FREIA Music – Bandcamp
Downriver Dead Men Go is:
– Gerrit Koekebakker (vocals, guitars)
– Michel Varkevisser (guitars, backing vocals)
– Peter van Dijk (keyboards)
– Menno Kolk (bass)
– Marcel Heijnen (drums)
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