"blood feather": GUHTS Takes Flight on Stained Wings (Early EP Stream)

Nothing makes post-metal more rewarding than skillful use of contrasts, and New York post-metal outfit GUHTS creates a particularly interesting study of this on their debut EP blood feather. Within its four songs, minimalist menace is paired with and pitted against swirling cresendoes of emotion in patterns that ultimately leave behind vivid memories of both extremes. We’re streaming the whole EP now ahead of its Friday release; listen now:

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Vocalist Amber Burns’ dynamic range acts like a conductor’s baton for the timbre of blood feather, shifting from regretfully-sung verses to indignant half-howls and screams. Minimalist, exacting drums pound out driving rhythms as heavy guitars trade places with dynamic synthesizers to pummel and perplex in equal measure. The EP peaks in abrasion on “Handless Maiden,” where muddy, caustic guitars reign, but here still airy textures manage to keep the band’s sound suspended just above the grime in an ear-pleasing schism.

Burns’ vocals twist around these sonic suspensions and build uncomfortably familiar narratives of suffering and pain, falling into cyclical and layered repetitions on “The Forest” to hammer home that uneasy feeling growing in your stomach. Lyrically and instrumentally, blood feather is cryptic enough to weather repeated listens without getting stale, but, all else aside, its heartbreaking riffs leave little doubt as to the general sentiments.

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blood feather releases independently on August 6th and can be pre-ordered at the band’s Bandcamp page.