10 Great Metal Albums (For People Who Don't Like Metal)
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
This 2017 record hinges around contrast. On one hand, there’s the pounding, patient, doomy guitar tracks. Accompanied by the rumbling bass and drums, they create a rhythm track of deep foreboding, moving slowly but assuredly like an inescapable movie monster.
On the other hand, there’s Wolfe’s vocals, restrained but not the least big sugary, floating supernaturally above the blasting noise. It’s a trick she debuts on the catchy “Spun” and returns to for much of the album, and it’s effective throughout. It’s a melodic, accessible record, but almost disconcertingly so.
On tracks like “16 Psyche”, it creates something like ambient metal, with the thud of the instruments and the lilt of the vocals meeting in the middle to create a unique wall of sound effect.
None of these tunes stand still. In some cases it’s a textured affair, like the patient “The Culling”, which layers strand upon bizarre strand until it becomes a beautiful cacophony; others, like “Vex”, are partitioned into quiet and loud sections. This is an intriguing listen for any fans of indie, dream pop, or generally creepy things.