Perth doom-gaze act Skullcave presents their new single”Fear to Hide” from their debut full length album, FEAR – an ambitious, qualitative blend of thick doom, dreamy instrumentals and layered vocals.
After hearing the triumphant, thunderous riffs, flowing grooves and dynamic singing, it would be forgivable to see similarities between FEAR and the sounds of Pallbearer, Mastodon and Alice in Chains. However, one of FEAR’s important conceptual guides comes from the mouth of producer Ron Pollard (Tangled Thoughts of Leaving), as guitarist Jay Marriott explains:
“One of the biggest influences he had was teaching us that sometimes you need to take time to allow the art to reveal itself.” Marriott continues: “By this we learnt that the concepts take time to form, because our own minds were still developing an understanding of what we wanted to say. We also wanted to make sure that we didn’t rely on lyrics to tell the story, in a similar way to when you watch a great film or read a great novel. Generally speaking, the story itself isn’t and shouldn’t be told by the dialogue.”
Bursting forth with groaning 90s vocals, cyclic riffs, textured layers and near ritualistic instrumentals, Fear to Hide, is the impressive first single off FEAR. Elaborating on the concepts that Skullcave have mastered in the lead up to the release, the song bears both a lingering beauty and a gritty finish. The guitar’s tone sometimes simmers with a subtle tonal sigh, challenged by pure heaviness later in the song. It all culminates into something both beautiful and delicate, yet haggard and callous – a war within itself.
“We had a bit of a theme when it came to making most of the decisions on the album,” says drummer/vocalist Liam Young. “We’d say: ‘we should do this. No, wait, that’s exactly what we *would* do, so let’s do the opposite!’. So Fear to Hide was born – a 10 minute track that builds from slow swaying melodies into unpredictable heavy sections. It seemed ideal. Lyrically, it talks about the total dependence we have on social media and the need to be seen by others at all times. I couldn’t bear it taking over my art, so I shut that shit down for a while. Time has passed and I’m in a happy, healthy relationship with the internet again.”
If FEAR has one lesson to teach Australian music, it’s that there’s still life and variety in doom metal. The juxtaposed elements of genres, instrumentals and inspirations click together as naturally as two conjoining bones – at no point does the music’s sublime flow feel jaunted or rough. Between the grimy yet beautiful instrumentals and adventurous vocal work, it’s not a stretch to say there’s something in here for everyone – especially those with a taste for versatility and respect for composition.
Skullcave’s first single, Fear To Hide, is available now via Bandcamp.
