REVIEW: The Keening – Devotion
The 2010s were a glorious time for metal. It was a fertile landscape of new takes on the genre. Baroness were venturing into progressive alt-metal on Yellow & Green, Sólstafir were bringing post-rock into viking metal and Eight Bells were crafting atmospheric blackened doom of the highest order. There seemed to be less adherence to nostalgia and tradition, but maybe that’s my own nostalgia talking. SubRosa stood among the best of that decade’s output. More Constant Than the Gods and For This We Fought the Battle of Ages are unarguably modern classics.
I saw them at Maryland Deathfest in 2017 and it was earth-shattering. That performance cemented my opinion of them as the best metal band going. When they announced they were parting ways the following year, I was gutted. Their music occupied a special place in my heart. That feeling was shared by fans. SubRosa was a band you felt deeply.
Then I heard The Keening’s Little Bird. The 2023 debut from SubRosa’s head songstress, Rebecca Vernon, destroyed me. The album’s moody orchestral dark folk gave me one of the most emotionally compelling listens I’d experienced since her previous band’s work. The Otolith’s Folium Limina from the year before was also very good. The band comprised of SubRosa members sans Vernon has more similarities to them on paper. However, The Keening penetrated the layer of majestic darkness that was the true magic of SubRosa’s sound. Vernon has a melodic sensibility that is completely unique to her. Even with the sludgy guitars swapped for acoustics, it made me feel deeply again.
I knew this was going to be a busy fall for me, but when a promo for The Keening’s new album landed in my inbox, I had to make time for it. I devoured the 4 (technically 7, but more on that later) tracks ravenously.
It’s been a perfect soundtrack to my autumn. The way Vernon plucks notes sounds like leaves falling. Her brooding midrange and effortless falsetto capture the harmony of colors. The lingering touch of darkness reflects the black fungus we’re seeing from too much rain on the leaves in Rochester.
Beginning with a 4-part epic, Devotion demands your attention from the start. Dark/doom folk is usually synonymous with alt-rock singer-songwriters, but the progressive tendencies of The Keening are at their most evident in this sequence. It helps build a special singularity for both the artist and the record. Despite the Rush-ism of starting an album with a multi-pronged arrangement, the musicality itself reaches into interesting territory.
“I – Golden Thread” serves as as overture to the rest of the piece. It sets the tone with the lush melodies we’ve come to associate with Vernon’s songwriting. Its lyrics juxtapose images that look between binaries and obvious associations. They seem to be searching for a spiritual fulfillment in that interstice. That exploration is compelling and one that carries across the record.
The first half of “II – Fitful Sleep” is constantly building. Calm vocal lines are gradually accompanied by electric guitars. The subtle undercurrents of darkness are reminiscent of Goblin’s Suspiria theme. When it reaches its powerful crescendo, it transitions to a flute-laden prog-folk section that recalls the best of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis.
The third movement, “III – The King” is the heaviest The Keening has ever been. While it doesn’t quite reach “metal,” it is a crushing piece of doom-rock. Its success is owed to the earthy and not overproduced sound of the drums and electric guitar. It’s a tone you can only get from a real amp. The production overall is clearer than on Little Bird. Vernon’s vocals are higher in the mix, which is a smart choice given the additional layers of harmonies.
The suite closes with the stunningly beautiful “IV – O Mother.” It’s an ethereal lullaby that ends on a hopeful, but no less contemplative note. The layered stutter of “hanging by a thread” gives me goosebumps and is a brilliant way to circle back to the imagery of “Golden Thread.” Longing after a displaced Mother figure concludes the speaker’s search between light and darkness.
The whole of the “Devotion” side flows gracefully like a classical piece. However, it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. Though there are musical themes that recur across the 4 parts, they are pretty threadbare. I’ll detract some points for it feeling like one standalone part after another, but it’s a bold way to open an album. Despite its occasional unevenness, its highlights show flourishes of genius.
The second half of the album leads with the single, “A Little Bit of Blood.” While the music on Devotion is probably too artsy to have Chelsea Wolfe’s commercial appeal, I do think this song could be a big crossover hit. Even before I saw the vibey music video that pays tribute to Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, I felt like this song would be perfect as the coda of a horror movie. If Cassie Workman is reading this, please tell Lily Wachowski to put this song in a feature!
“Time Travel” didn’t grab me on first listen, but it’s become one of my favorites on subsequent spins. That’s largely due to the lyrics, which express a Romantic sentiment: “all your science fails me / since time travel’s not in the cards.” The desire for more than materialism fits with the album’s themes. The pairing of words with a somber doom metal chorus is a match made between heaven and hell.
Closing track, “The Murder of Anna Brown,” is a haunted epic. The bluesy murder ballad feel shows Vernon’s influence from Nick Cave. When the track reaches its chorus, the soaring vocals feel like an apparition leaving a body. The storytelling is vivid, eerily written from the perspective of the killer. The horror within exposes the gender and racial politics of the Osage murders.
Closing the album with three 7-minute acoustic tracks is as bold a move as the 4-part opener. I really appreciate albums where each side has its own feel. Devotion strikes that balance well. Though the first half of the album isn’t quite the masterpiece it’s capable of being, it is still an excellent piece of music. The last three songs show some of Vernon’s sharpest songwriting to date, while still allowing room for meaningful development.
Since it’s impossible to write about The Keening without mentioning SubRosa, much to the artist’s exhaustion I’m sure, I want to underscore that this album is a serendipitous achievement in its own right. Though not quite as impactful as Little Bird, Devotion does have the upper hand in songwriting, which is more careful and less sprawling. Rebecca Vernon is one of the finest talents the metal world has seen over the past two decades. We should be grateful she is still gifting us with such beautiful and heartfelt music. I feel ambivalent about SubRosa easing their way into reunion appearances. With records as strong as The Keening has been making, I feel like Vernon is still doing her best work. It’s different, but just as deeply felt.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Devotion is out now via Relapse Records.
