Precipice

Chronique

After releasing the powerful Endangered Philosophies in 2017, Dälek put out the turntable-heavy EP Respect to the Authors in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown in 2020, the group scrapped an album that was in production, as they were unable to access their usual studio. Leader Will Brooks then kept busy releasing seven home-recorded, download-only Meditations albums, starting with an improvised live session, originally broadcast on Twitch. In 2021, Brooks and Mike Manteca began working on Precipice, with previous collaborator Joshua Booth (formerly of shoegaze band All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors) contributing guitars and serving as "musical guru." The album opens with "Lest We Forget," a gorgeous beatless instrumental that lets stirring guitar melodies soak in a pool of soothing distortion. "Boycott" gets down to business with booming beats, piercing guitars, eerie reversed noises, and direct, defiant lyrics. Brooks' rhymes focus on political injustice, the oppression and imprisonment of minorities, and the erasure of history. There's no need for him to make any reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, or any specific events that occurred during it -- the topics would be just as relevant on any of their other albums. The only timestamp is "Holistic"'s reference to the group's longevity, thanking those who have been fans for over two decades. While many of the tracks feel heavy and direct, "The Harbingers" is a disconnected sleepwalker with vocals drowning in reverb by the end, all matching the song's apocalyptic message. "Devotion (When I Cry the Wind Disappears)" is a truly lovely song of unconditional hope, with thundering drums trudging along to a vast field of heavenly feedback. "A Heretic's Inheritance" is a much more brooding slice of industrial hip-hop, with Tool's Adam Jones adding swarming guitars and synth. "Incite" spikes its harsh reminders of history with blasts of incinerating noise. Like most of Dälek's albums, Precipice is a triumphant, boundary-pushing experience.
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