WSOU Picks of the Week: Deafheaven, Raven Black

Seton Hall University’s WSOU radio is the only all-metal, all-the-time station currently broadcasting in the US, and has been a force in metal for DECADES. It’s also streamable online from anywhere in the world! Each week, the staff of WSOU shares their picks for the heaviest of the heavy, as well as the station’s charts for that week, right here on MetalSucks. Enjoy:

Deafheaven – “Honeycomb” (Garren L.)

When someone says the name Deafheaven, what comes to mind is a bunch of hipsters in Williamsburg listening to Sunbather while talking about what pomade they use to maintain their pompadour. Real talk, though: Deafheaven are easily one of the most recognizable blackgaze bands. Their new song “Honeycomb” doesn’t deviate too far from previous offerings but does showcase some of the hallmarks of the band’s sound. This song lacks the ferocity and heavier moments of “Brought to the Water,” maintaining a very chill but aggressive, jam-like quality which fades into a calmer, more tranquil vibe towards the end of the song. While Deafheaven are not reinventing the metal wheel with this new song, it is contributing its own take on heavy music and I am intrigued to see how it will evolve further. Deafheaven’s new album, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, comes out July 13th.

Raven Black – “Monster” (Dylan G.)

Raven Black released their 7 Sins EP last summer, making waves in our regular rotation. It’s good to see that they are still kicking with their unique brand of creepy carnival metal. “Monster” is a heavier take on their usual nu-metal-infused tracks. Raven’s screams are front and center on this song, a nice change of pace that will hopefully earn them some fans on the elitist end of the spectrum that may have been turned off by the band’s lighter material.