Veils of Winter

I don't want to dwell on this but what the heck kind of name is "Blackwater Holylight?" It's the compromise of equal alternatives that you'd expect out of a suggestion box, like Wishbone Ash or Savatage. Anyway between the weird compound band name and the band-photo-as-cover-art that studiously avoids expressing anything whatsoever other than "we are female and we like the 1970's", apparently something clicked because I've spun this album many times already and it's actually quite good.

Most(?) of the press about BH (BWHL?) identifies them as doom metal, but that's barely half the story on their second full-length. They can certainly be as crushing, desolate, and oppressive as the best doom bands out there (see album opener "Seeping Secrets") but are clearly much more comfortable producing 70's-styled riff-rock in the Zep Sabbath tradition. In fact, "Daylight" sounds like an attempt at echoing "No Quarter" with its leisurely tempo, haunting melodies, and carefully sculpted dynamics.

"Death Realms" is even better - the strongest song on the album in my opinion - but here's where things get really weird, because it barely qualifies as "metal," being instead a riffless chord-driven rock song that calls to mind not even the 70's but the mid-to-late 90's when sort-of-heavy fuzz rock with high female vocals was even more of a thing (Liz Phair anybody? Belly? Veruca Salt? Heck, "Spiders" in its instrumental approach and structure reminds me of Bratmobile of all things - though played at half tempo and with much better vocals.)

The rest of the album continues in this vein and it's pretty obvious that the whole experience is structured as a progression from darkness to light, modulating from two respectably heavy and crushing doom metal numbers through two other less aggressive but still foreboding tracks that add more prog and rock elements to the mix and onward to the more uplifting and exhilarating (if not very metallic) second half. The fact that Blackwater Holylight have something interesting to say at each stage of this varied journey speaks strongly of their artistry and versatility.

Headbang with the heavy parts, drift away with the light parts, stick around for the whole story - whatever approach you prefer, BWHL has you covered.