Nothing – Guilty of Everything (Relapse)

Monday, 24th February 2014
Rating: 8/10

Relapse doesn’t work in as many bands as Nothing as they should, with the label still quite committed to more extreme spectrums than this, a shoegaze band. There are some that consider shoegaze a veritable form of extreme music, though (it’s really not), so a band such as Nothing fitting on a respected label littered with high-velocity and/or greasy/slimy bands isn’t that big of a deal in 2014. In fact, it’s welcome, especially for those who in this climate, will do just about anything to explore dreary soundscapes, which is exactly what Guilty of Everything is loaded with.

A Philadelphia-based outfit formed in 2011 by Domenic Palermo, Nothing’s sound is rooted largely in gaze-mainstays such as Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and for a modern reference point, Justin Broaderick’s Jesu. Thus, anyone looking for the occasional black metal squawk ala Alcest, it’s not happening here, for the tunes find their rainy-day footing and rarely make steps beyond their cold, claustrophobic comfort zone. Most of the cuts have ample takeaways, like the blissful vocal harmonies on album highlight “Endlessly,” the dreamy jangle of “Hymn to the Pillory,” and the indie thrust of “Get Well.”

Guilty of Everything is very much a situational album, tailored for moods…and not good ones. So without a predominant metal influence, Nothing are able to fit into the metal scene, mainly because of the label they’re on, but also because of how enabling these songs are. Quality tunes of the sorrowful and/or reflective variety are hard to come by – Nothing have ‘em down pat.

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