{"id":62631,"date":"2017-02-26T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-26T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=62631"},"modified":"2017-02-25T16:55:25","modified_gmt":"2017-02-25T22:55:25","slug":"sunday-sesh-splitting-up-2017-with-whitehorse-and-upyr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/sunday-sesh-splitting-up-2017-with-whitehorse-and-upyr\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Sesh: Splitting Up 2017 with Whitehorse and Upyr"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Holy hell, it isn’t even March yet and we’ve already got some killer splits. 2017 has witnessed new partnerships between\u00a0Resonance<\/strong> Cascade<\/strong>\/J\u00e4rnb\u00f6rd<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Palace of Worms<\/a>\/<\/strong>Ecferus<\/strong>, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting. Today, however, I’d like to talk about one of my favorite doom\/sludge bands around and the righteous split they’re about to drop. Get ready for\u00a0Whitehorse<\/strong> and\u00a0Upyr<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ve likely seen me whisper (well, not literally seen me, but play along) about the Aussie doom monsters in Whitehorse before<\/a>. As far as I’m concerned, the murk-dwelling sextet is one of the most genuinely unnerving metal acts around. By combining the creeping pace of funeral doom with absurdly heavy sludge riffs and preposterously inky vocals, Whitehorse creates a convincing atmosphere of eldritch horror better than just about anyone else in the business. Think of\u00a0Portal<\/strong> playing\u00a0Black Sabbath<\/strong> covers in\u00a0Grave Upheaval<\/strong>‘s cavern, and you’re on the right track.<\/p>\n

Imagine my elation, then, when I got an email that Whitehorse were releasing a new split! I made my way over to Bandcamp about as quickly as I could and pressed play on “Settled Dust,” a bleak, 18-minute subterranean crawl through ash and bone that is just quintessential Whitehorse. Then I hit play again. And again. It wasn’t just the unholy doom riffs compelling me to dive deeper and deeper into the hadal zone beneath Terra Nullius. No, Whitehorse were doing something a little different hear, something that took me a few listens to really tease out.<\/p>\n

While the band has always dabbled in noise and drone elements to enhance the jittering, chittering atmosphere within which their doom metal lurks, there was a surprising hint of beauty here I had not detected before. Melancholic beauty, like a wilting flower in winter, aye, but beauty nonetheless. At about 10 minutes into the song, a delicate, vulnerable string arrangement rears its head from black refuse like a frightened creature struggling desperately to keep its head above the obsidian tides trying to pull it under. This arrangement adds an unexpected melody to the song and shows us a side of the doom sextet yet unseen, one that hides beneath its veneer of violence and despair a plaintive desperation. Honestly, this little element took me aback, but I’m almost ready to declare this the best song Whitehorse has ever written. It’s wonderful to see a band you enjoy evolving ever so slightly while still playing to their strengths. Thank you, Whitehorse.<\/p>\n