Single Slam – Honeycomb by Deafheaven (Ordinary Corrupt Human Love)

American post black metal band Deafheaven have released the first single from their upcoming new album. The single is called Honeycomb and it will feature on the album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love will be released on the 13th of July via ANTI Records.

Ordinary Corrupt Human Love will be the band’s fourth studio album and follows on from the popular New Bermuda which was released in 2015. New Bermuda is really the album that propelled them into the limelight though they had already started making waves with 2013’s Sunbather after their debut Roads to Judah in 2011. Click on the link to read our thoughts on those releases. Deafheaven formed in 2010 as a two piece, singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy. They quickly filled the band out though after recording a demo and released Roads To Judah.

They have tweaked the line up and expanded their sound over the last few albums leading us nicely towards the new one. The current line up, joining Clarke and McCoy, is Daniel Tracy on drums and Shiv Mehra on guitars. Finally, only joining the band in 2017 is bassist Chris Johnson who replaces Stephen Clark.

Honeycomb is a huge song to start off with. Almost exactly 11 minutes long actually. That may seem daunting to a casual listener but it allows the band time to be expansive and creative. Honeycomb becomes more of an experience than just a song. Honeycomb starts with a bit of familiarity. A brooding intro leads into a wall of blackened metal with expansive riffs and crushing blast beats. The screams and yells from Clarke are ripping as the bass drips sombre tones over the track like tar.

As the song progresses, we already know we are going to see more and we do. Folk like sections with a tambourine ringing, long melodic guitar lines and spirit raising solos lift you. Almost euphoric sections with melodic guitars and chimes elevating you. Occasional rips of aggression pierce the melancholy before you are back floating again. I keep coming back to the word but expansive fits perfectly.

Honeycomb isn’t really Deafheaven changing their mould. It is almost a typical Deafheaven track but they just sound like they are getting better, again. More controlled, more composed and more creative. Expect the new album to be one of the best of the year.

Check out Honeycomb for yourself over at Anti Records YouTube channel here. It is available on all the usual streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify now. There is no word on a preorder for the new album yet so keep an eye on their social media for that. You can do that at their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr as well as at their website by following the links.

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