A perfect example of an album that’s greater than the sum of its parts, Beyond the Lightless Sky by Hull is a musical saga loosely based on the adventures of the Mayan Hero Twins. Hull’s second effort showcases the contrast between light and dark, as if to call attention to one of the central pillars of Mayan belief: duality.
A concept album like this, with the artist’s intention so obviously laid out for the listener beforehand, is a tricky thing. Knowledge of a storyline can allow for a new level of intellectual engagement, but it can also be off-putting. Fortunately, Beyond the Lightless Sky does not feel limited by its grandiose concept; nor does it venture into gimmicky territory. The lengthy tracks are broken up by short, pensive interludes that help shape the story in a tasteful way.
The journey begins with “Earth from Water”, which feels like a collection of genre splices layered on top of one another. The problem is that the sounds are a little too telling of Hull’s influences. Within the first five minutes alone, my brain involuntarily made connections to Baroness, Dark Castle, and Enslaved. However, the issue thankfully becomes somewhat less prominent after the first track.
As the band’s own identity trickles in, so does the importance of the concept. Would Beyond the Lightless Sky be as powerful without knowledge of the story? Not nearly. Minimalist additions such as “Just a Trace of Early Dawn” and “Curling Winds” wouldn’t hold much weight. As parts of a whole, they make sense. Album closer, “In Death, Truth”, tells the last bit of the tale; its authoritative riffs fade out slowly, like the dying breath of one of the protagonists, accepting the relief of final silence. “Lonely soul / In death, truth / Holy way out / Redeem.”
The production on this record is colorless in a way that doesn’t fit with the lyrics of blood sacrifice and wrathful Mayan deities; but it does help us piece together images of ancient landscapes, devoid of all modern excesses.
Beyond the Lightless Sky feels like a glimpse of someone else’s saga, from the safety of a protected harbor. But the band is forging ahead in the right direction. When Hull writes a record that makes me feel like I’m being swept off my feet and catapulted into a canoe headed straight for Xibalba, then I’ll have no choice but to succumb to their greatness.
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HEAR BEYOND THE LIGHTLESS SKY
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Hull – “Beyond the Lightless Sky”
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Hull – “Earth From Water”
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BUY BEYOND THE LIGHTLESS SKY
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I think this is a concept album about trying to sound like Celestial/Oceanic-era Isis as much as possible, and they hit that nail on the head.
Interesting how we all hear these things differently… I hear a lot more Baroness and Enslaved than Isis, personally. Celestial is pure cosmic chug; it’s really impersonal and cold to my ear. Oceanic is different, but its much more about the wandering, watery indie rock guitars in my mind. I know there’s some big riffing there, but it only occasionally feels like this, at least as far as my memory is concerned.
Actually Julia’s article as a whole really articulates exactly what I hear in the clips above: from the issues with the production to the obviousness of the influences, but also the fact that the music itself rises above the hurdles and soars despite itself. Nice post!
When I saw “Review” in the title, I though, “oh great. Another churned out article from the review mill…”, but then I was suprised with an actual interesting review that at least stoked my interest in the band.
Well done, other IO writers take note.
Wash Jones, I’m in complete agreement with how Oceanic sounds compared to this. The production is very thin and watery on that one, whereas the sound clips here make me think of SLUDGE in every sense. Pretty large difference on that plane alone, and a very cool release by the sounds of things!
I will certainly be investigating further, thanks for the review!
the production is thin on oceanic? are you nuts, man? have you gone off the deep end? (no pun intended).
this feels a lot more “soulful” than anything isis ever did, but i am not an isis fan so the usual disclaimers apply.
i’m a bit hard pressed to see anything related to the twins in this, but internal processes don’t always translate to obvious external results.
i don’t think of the production of Oceanic necessarily as thin, I was thinking of it more from a compositional standpoint. I dunno what the fuck ‘watery’ means in terms of guitar, but that’s what came to mind, at least from my memory. Oceanic has a warmth that Isis had shied from before, but it still doesn’t feel dirty or sludgy the way Hull seems to here.
I didn’t mean poor if that’s what you mean, but I find the production to keep things on the high end, as opposed to wavering radiant where there seemed to be a real concentration on the bass heavy sound.
If you get a chance to see these guys live DO IT!!! I like the CD but they were soooo much more powerful live. One of the best sets I’ve seen in a while!
Wow, I wish I would have given this album a chance sooner. Really liking the title track, can’t wait to give the full thing a spin soon.
Excuse me, while I go put my waders on so I can delve properly into this sludge.