When it comes to metal, “depressing” can mean a number of things. There’s funeral doom depressing—melodramatic, with heartbreaking melodies and savage growls. There’s DSBM depressing—hopeless, with listless refrains and inhuman shrieks. Then, there’s something like the music of Hours of Worship, which, now we come to it, isn’t metal at all. But it is depressing, and that’s precisely what the duo intend. Death and Dying Vol. II is, as you might expect, the follow-up to sophomore record Death and Dying Vol. I, and continues along the ambient gothic trajectory mapped out by that predecessor. The path that Hours of Worship have trodden has now reached a place truly apathetic and sober, which makes even their debut The Cold That You Left look upbeat. This is the most miserable electronica you’ll ever hear.
Death and Dying Vol. II. is an instant portal to the morose, mopey world that’s become Hours of Worship’s signature. Instantly recognizable for its solemn, stringlike synths and spaced-out, apathetic vocals, this visit sees it mired still further in gloom. The (relatively) uptempo rock and pop sensibilities of the debut have now been all but stripped away. The lone exception, cover of Faith and the Muse’s “Shattered in Aspect,” is still glummer than a song with its chirruping refrain ought to be, while its companions threaten to totally ruin your day—or make it, if you’re a masochist like me. Moving away from a moody Depeche Mode, Joy Division vibe and into what’s essentially a synthesized, clean-sung version of None, Hours of Worship are only getting darker and less eager to be part of this world.
Death & Dying Vol. II by Hours of Worship
Hours of Worship know that bleakness goes down best when it’s beautiful. The sedate, melancholic melodies are a brilliant backdrop for Wound and Trembling Master to sigh out their ennui in breathy baritones. Little chimes ring resonant in the air alongside pulsing bubbles of warm noise and quivering ethereal refrains (“Losing the Will to Live”). Drum beats echo. Vocals layer and melt into the syrupy synths as they drawl (“Opaline Ashes”). Sometimes sobriety wraps this prettiness in a shroud of monotony, the repeating flickers of is-that-guitar-or-keyboard1 almost sinister before they meet with an airy descending aria (“Bunker in Disarray,” “Derelict & Ruined”). Stand-out “Losing the Will to Live,” however, hides nothing of its pulchritude. With weeping chords and delicately developed descending scales, a heartbeat of echoing drums, and painfully morose moans, it’s a masterclass in wretched allure. Beside this, the bluntness of “Beneath a Hanging Tree”—the most depressing piece of all—is only intensified. Its low ratio between bluntness and beauty magnifies that of others—the carillons of keys breaking dull chords (“Derelict & Ruined”), subtle chorals and warped notes forming mournful refrains (“Losing the Will To Live”), and listless drones alternating with Byronic near-whispers (“Opaline Ashes”).
The dour sensibilities of Death & Dying Vol. II do nonetheless take their toll. Despite being moody as hell, opening duo “Bunker in Disarray” and “Derelict & Ruined” are neither confrontationally joyless as “Beneath a Hanging Tree,” nor grimly graceful like “Losing the Will to Live,” and “Opaline Ashes.” Their brand of washed-out disinterest therefore sits in the limbo of placidity, and they aren’t as strong as the songs that follow. The smooth drum transition between the two of them is, however, very nice. More broadly, there remains a nagging thought that Hours of Worship’s recent proclivity for the particularly funereal is holding back their talents for music with a bit more grip. But perhaps one ought not complain about a lack of sparkle from a record whose primary goal is to disillusion them with the land of the living
Death & Dying Vol II achieves what it sets out to do. You will come out its other side weary and jaded. Its ability to swallow up hope and cast a gloomy veil really is second only to DSBM, even surpassing it, at its most monotonous—for better or worse. If you enjoy wallowing in misery as much as Hours of Worship do, indulge yourself for a while.
Rating: Very Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Worship the Dead
Website: hoursofworship.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2024
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