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As a person who, when asked by others what kind of music that she likes, often answers with ‘anything but heavy metal’, writing an album review on a band such as Black Peaks did pose somewhat of a challenge, albeit a welcome one. Before listening to the album All That Divides and coming to the band without hearing any of the music from their acclaimed first LP Statues, the labelling of their genre as ‘progressive rock’ did render the ensuing tracks as a bit of a surprise. The recruitment of Adrian Bushby, who has produced for names such as the Foo Fighters and Muse, could lead one to believe that this Brighton band could be classified under the alternative rock genre, if one came with fresh eyes and indeed ears to this music.
On listening to the opening track ‘Can’t Sleep’, I found the title quite fitting for what I would almost certainly be saying to myself if I were to listen to the song anywhere up to two hours before bedtime. However, it would be an injustice to fans of heavy metal or hardcore punk genres to review Black Peaks with my own personal tastes overshadowing the piece, and for that reason I will aim to be objective.
Black Peaks, in an interview with Upset Magazine during March 2018 about the upcoming album, stated that they were ‘here to stay’ with this new record. Realising the success of Statues, the band were aware that the sophomore LP had a lot to prove regarding the bands longevity. They claim that All That Divides is a more ‘concise version’ of the band – Statues was about experimentation, a niche was then found in the following record. They use the metaphor of a beast for their sound, which they are now ‘in control’ of.
The band also said they would be airing a lot of their new material on tour. In the same interview they anticipate to ‘melt people’s faces off with some of this new shit’.
I can see how this melting may come about. There is a stamina throughout the album that rarely dies down, and when the pace does appear to ease it’s brought right back rather quickly, as can be seen with the toned-down ‘Aether’ preceding the politically charged ‘Home’. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, Black Peaks tweeted the song ‘Aether’ saying it realises anxiety issues and hopefully ‘feeling free’ from these issues in everyday life. ‘Home’ can be listened to in the context of the political tumult in Britain in 2016. Black Peaks are quite aware of the societal and political issues surrounding them, and then translate them creatively through their music.
Though this is not music I am now going to actively listen to on my commute to college, it has merits for me in its production methods and lyrical content. The band didn’t just disappear, as what sometimes happens to artists who have huge success with their debut album, the fame often brief. The subject matter of certain tracks on the album is universal regardless of genre preferences. Black Peaks have evidently given the fans what they were hoping for musically – the 4/5 stars, the 9/10s and the ‘excellents’ from many critics such as NME, Sputnik Music and Distorted Sound have solidified this. I would urge any fans of this type of music to judge for themselves, I don’t think they will be disappointed.
