This Bright and Beautiful World
Greyhaven make the space between chaos and melody feel productive on This Bright and Beautiful World. Their guitar parts can be restless and abrasive, but the singing often pulls the songs towards something more direct. The technical playing has plenty of force. The record is most convincing when that ability serves a memorable change in mood.
In a Room Where Everything Dies begins with an immediate rush of heavy guitars, rapid drums and harsh vocals. It establishes the band's intensity without much preparation. All Candy then changes the perspective, allowing a stronger groove and smoother vocal melody to shape the performance. The move gives the opening more range than its first moments suggest.
The rhythm section helps the busier material remain controlled. Ethan Spray's drumming is detailed and forceful, while the production keeps the playing from becoming a purely mechanical display. There is enough character in the sound for the sharper guitar movements to retain their urgency.
More and More Hands brings the heavier and more melodic ideas close together. Its changes in vocal style and guitar attack give the song a clear sense of movement. Fed to the Lights uses a more spacious approach, developing a dramatic shape through its melody rather than relying entirely on another burst of aggression.
And It's Still Too Loud moves between faster, heavier passages and a quieter conclusion. That change leads effectively towards Ornaments from the Well, where a gentle opening gradually becomes a much larger closing performance. The final build gives the album a sense of arrival, with Brent Mills' voice carrying much of its impact.
The limitation is that skill and intensity do not always produce equally distinctive songs. Some of the more restless passages make a stronger impression while they are happening than they leave afterwards. All Candy's clearer identity shows how useful a little more direct writing can be.
Still, This Bright and Beautiful World contains a persuasive balance of force and restraint. Its best songs use melody to give the heavy playing a stronger purpose, and its closing sequence is particularly effective. Greyhaven have enough character to make their familiar influences worthwhile, even when the songwriting is less consistent than the musicianship.
