1992 marks the starting point of this Chicago act – who released a series of demos plus an album in 1997 with …of the Fallen that established Avernus as a promising band that crossed the doom, death, and gothic metal styles in their output. Reunion shows have occurred, finally assembling all the right stars for a second full-length this many decades later for Grievances. Those of us who remember the thoughtful compositions that contain morose, heavy passages with spots of hopeful ambiance will enjoy once again the versatility present in these ten tracks, the range from short to epic equally dynamic in terms of variety, depth, and engagement.
The quartet possess the knowledge plus understanding of setting an aural landscape that keeps the main riffs inviting, surrounded by deep vocal growls, active drum parts, as well as keyboard parts that further cement the depressive chord progressions that receive complimentary harmony / melodic support. Rick McCoy has that defined, measured delivery to his voice that artists like Christian Älvestam (ex-Scar Symmetry), Johan Hegg or Dan Swanö possess, a game changer in epic tracks like “Nemesis” or “The Burning Down”. While half of the record contains the band’s normal musical cocktail that travels into slower, heavy terrain, the other half spread about consists of material that takes on a cinematic, almost Pink Floyd meets Dead Can Dance soundscape. Check into the layers of softer guitar / piano throughout “Plateau”, or the hypnotic spoken word though synth play for “Utter Euphoria” that allows the subsequent drum/distorted guitar riffs to shine in a doom/gothic driven platform to sway the listener into an out of body experience. Adventurous bass lines set off another wide array of guitar harmonies on the closer “Quietus”, the heavy start soon dropping into this ambient, quiet mystique as if lost in the forest before the distorted guitars return, the instrumental sequence stunning in its cultural themes as the death roars and subtle keyboard choirs fade to a fitting end.
Special guests include Corporate Death from Macabre and Jeff Ulbrich of From Beyond These Walls / Rhone, who add color to an already vibrant record. Avernus never lost any impact even if it’s been over 27 years between full-length outings – they truly are special in their cross-pollination of styles, executing each note, riff, transition, or tempo change to an accurate measure. Grievances contains the best elements of doom, death, and gothic metal in such a way that you’ll feel like this hour-long journey takes place in an instant – only to beckon multiple deep dive sessions to reflect on what has passed through your body, brain, and ears.