Fires in the Distance: "The Lock and the Key" to Somber Despair

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Raw, bleeding drums rage under an engulfing cloud of guitars and keyboard — Connecticut’s Fires in the Distance summons smoggy, melodic death-doom that’s as thick and choking as their name implies. Still, there’s a sense of ornate complexity that belies the brutal tones employed, and the artwork and song titles on their upcoming debut album Echoes from Deep November point to somber reflections that lie beneath the maelstrom. We’re streaming “The Lock and the Key” now, which ponders the tragedies of mismatched pairings:

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Although the song might not be about the operations of machined parts, “The Lock and the Key” is a grinding, turning affair in its own right, engaging elements of its sound strategically to develop a harrowing path through its eight-minute runtime. Layered melodies continuously spiral underneath the dense chugging that drives the song forward, and should that fail to gain passage, arpeggiated synths, snarling screams, and wistful solos take their turns picking your mental tumblers.

While Europe certainly has a robust stable of melodic death-doom to offer, Fires in the Distance offers an unchained addition to the other side of the pond. As punishing as it may be, there’s still a reverence for the careful structure and elegance that bolsters the genre’s best, making Echoes from Deep November a study in well-applied bombast.

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Echoes from Deep November releases May 22nd. Pre-orders are available via Bandcamp.

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