Wall of Water - 'Wall of Water' (Album Premiere)

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In the November 2015 edition of my Editor’s Choice column, I shared choice words for the relatively unknown New York two-piece Wall of Water, whose self-titled debut will be released next week. Good words, of course:

“These two songs offer jazzy dissonant chords played on seven string guitars – of course they’re from New York City – as well as a healthy dose of black metal atmosphere and even a hint of hardcore vocals […] The band’s stated purpose is to “transcend the boundaries between the numerous micro-genres of metal” and on that front they have succeeded. I expect big things should they ever record an album.”

Consider my “big things” expectation met. The project is a collaboration between drummer Shawn Eldridge of Disma and multi-instrumentalist Cullen Toner formerly of Abazagorath. They use every skill on their respective CV’s. Wall of Water blends pieces of disparate genres–black metal, noise, posthardcore–but the end result more often than not sounds like that greasy diseased gray that comes from mixing every Playskool watercolor paint together.

The band describes themselves as post-deathcore and on first brush that phrase struck me as bait for angry keyboard warriors. On second listen it makes more sense. Imagine if the rude boys in Oceano acquired a taste for the jazz-inflected rhythms of Pyrrhon and the patient spaces of Ulcerate. Alternately imagine if Luc Lemay fronted Candiria in a joint effort to give the reconstructive nasal surgeons of New York a little extra business.

Alternately, no need to imagine. You can hear it here.

Wall of Water will be released independently on 5/10 via Bandcamp.