Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

By Justin C. Theeyyyyy're back! The black metal-adjacent band that seems to ruffle more kvlt feathers than any other has returned with a new full length, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. The title alone will probably be enough for the trve

By Justin C.


Theeyyyyy're back! The black metal-adjacent band that seems to ruffle more kvlt feathers than any other has returned with a new full length, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. The title alone will probably be enough for the trve to ball up their fists in rage, although it's not some attempt at emo-cleverness, but rather a line from a Graham Greene novel written nearly 70 years ago.

That said, the band made an interesting choice with the first track, "You Without End." It starts with a simple piano figure that feels like a movie soundtrack focusing on a melancholy return home. The rising guitar line that ramps the song up turns it into a song you might have danced to at your prom...except for George Clarke's trademark growls, that is. It's almost as if the band is daring critics and fans alike to recoil.

It's the first step on a strange journey. The second track, "Honeycomb," brings us back to territory more familiar to previous Deafheaven albums, with the twist added of some seriously Dinosaur Jr.-inspired guitar work amongst the tremolos and blast beats. But hey, if you're going to cite a guitar influence, it's hard to do better than J. Mascis, regardless of genre.

Deafheaven 2016. Photos by Webzine Chuul.

"Canary" and "Glint"--the latter of which might be my favorite track--go along with the theme of making the listener wait, perhaps to the point of being confounded. Both have relatively mild guitar openings pushing past the two-minute mark before the METALZ kick in. But hot damn, when they kick in, we're back to the emotionally cathartic, heart-on-sleeve roars from Sunbather and New Bermuda.

And just to add to the already somewhat-strange mix, "Near" is a short, almost straightforward shoegaze tune with subdued clean vocals, and "Night People" brings Chelsea Wolfe in to co-lead vocals with her own, inimitable darkness. And if I'm not mistaken, that's Clarke singing cleanly along with her.**

As I've always said, I try not to read other press before I write my own review, but in this case, most of my listens came through NPR's stream of the album, and I can't help but pull a few choice bits. I do think the band is being "willfully cheesy" at points--although I don't think NPR or I would use that as an insult. I think their observation that, "If you've mocked Deafheaven in the past, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love does not care to meet you in the middle." is also on point. This album probably won't change your mind if it's already made up. To be honest, if I read what I'd just wrote, I'd be skeptical, even as a fan. Truth be told, though, I listened to this album three times in a row on first sitting. As willfully cheesy, twisting-and-turning it may be, I can't help but feel that Deafheaven is a band that is earnestly making the music they want to make, without an eye toward popularity or grimness or anything else. I have to admit that New Bermuda didn't stick with me the same way Sunbather did, but Ordinary Corrupt Human Love already has me hooked.

**At the time of this writing, I did not have access to liner notes, so I'm just assuming the male cleans are Clarke here. All apologies if it turns out another singer is credited with that part.