Fires in the Distance
Air Not Meant For Us


4.5
superb

Review

by Brendan Schroer STAFF
May 2nd, 2023 | 169 replies


Release Date: 04/28/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A masterclass in merging beauty and brutality.

“Harbingers” is a monolithic statement of intent if I’ve ever heard one. Rain effects and gloomy keyboard work set the stage for a melodious-yet-crushing 10 minutes of death/doom, all helmed by the bellowing gutturals and agonized screeches of guitarist/vocalist Kristian Grimaldi and bassist/vocalist Craig Breitsprecher. What really stands out about this opening salvo is that the group aren’t afraid to play around with melody, often slipping in dramatic piano arpeggios amidst the brutality, and even the heaviest moments are imbued with a sense of melancholy and dread. After all, these guys are often considered melodic death/doom. Regardless, “Harbingers” is one hell of a thesis statement for the rest of the songs on Air Not Meant for Us to build upon.

And boy, do they ever; every track here, while working within the stylistic framework of the opener, still retains a unique identity of its own. Though not a concept album (not that I know of, anyway), Connecticut doom-metallers Fires in the Distance’s second full-length is equal parts diverse and consistent, weaving in and out of several genres and textures while never losing its overall focus. The second track “Wisdom of the Falling Leaves”, while being a more straightforward affair than its predecessor, still throws in a nice helping of downcast keys and downtuned tremolo guitars to keep the sorrowful atmosphere intact; meanwhile, the double-bass drum work is working overtime to keep the momentum going. I simply love albums that create a synthesis of brutality and melancholic beauty, and Air Not Meant for Us is one such affair: for every pulverizing riff or chug, you can be sure that a piano-led gothic interlude will be just around the corner. Or, such as the ending of “Wisdom of the Falling Leaves”, they might just fuse the two together.

Speaking of “gothic”, that’s really the right word to describe the vibe of Air Not Meant for Us. Other words such as “funereal” or “downcast” certainly apply too, but the atmospheric passages of the record give off the feeling of being in a dark, empty cathedral in the dead of night. Take the beginning of “Adrift, Beneath the Listless Waves” for instance: the combination of symphonic keys and minimalistic piano melodies is just… for lack of a better word, haunting. And then, once the strident guitars join the fray and light up the sky, there’s something almost indescribable about the emotional weight they bring to the piece. Hell, the vocals don’t even come in during all of this; the band just lets the moment speak for itself, eventually capping the whole thing off with a soaring guitar solo to seal the deal. As strange as it may sound, despite all of the misery and dejection that imbues Air Not Meant for Us, the record’s melodic leanings actually create an odd sense of comfort and hope.

Perhaps the most notable stylistic departure comes in the form of the closer “Idiopathic Despair”, which trades off between clean (albeit deep) spoken word vocals and the band’s typical harsh growls. The tempos shifts are a bit more frequent here as well, courtesy of a solid performance by drummer Jordan Rippe, allowing for some variety to come into play. However, the final result still perfectly matches the overall vision of Air Not Meant for Us, which is to say that it maintains the record’s penchant for bludgeoning doom riffs and umbral melodies. If this is only Fires in the Distance’s second offering, then I think they have one hell of a bright future ahead of them, despite the bleak images their music conjures. Air Not Meant for Us is an incredible slice of death-doom with a highly melodic character, and a record that’s not afraid to let atmosphere and heaviness mingle with each other on a frequent basis. And hey, doom metal could always use more gothic keyboard passages, right?



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user ratings (194)
3.9
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
Koris
Staff Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


21957 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

What's poppin', everyone



Bit of a hyperbolic one this time around, but I really love the vibe of this album. Near-perfect blend of melancholic atmospheres and crushing doom riffs \m/

Jash
May 2nd 2023


5215 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

This sounds like exactly what I want in my ears right now, look forward to checking it out

Koris
Staff Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


21957 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Hellyeah, hope you enjoy :]

NightOnDrunkMountain
Contributing Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


841 Comments


Cool stuff here, I have been meaning to check this

manosg
Emeritus
May 2nd 2023


12710 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This is as good as non-'90s doom/death/gothic gets. Very good review too.

haggmeez
May 2nd 2023


151 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I loved their first album, though, the spoken word sound bytes got a little tedious. I'm glad they didn't get too hung up on that trope this time around except for on the closing track. This is definitely going to linger on the work playlist for some time to come.

haggmeez
May 2nd 2023


151 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Adrift, Beneath the Listless Waves is such an awesome track.

PumpBoffBag
Staff Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


1664 Comments

Album Rating: 4.9

Sounds great, will need to look into this. Top tier write-up as always Brendan

MyColdShoulder
May 2nd 2023


546 Comments


Randomly got this on vinyl at the store the other day simply cause the art looked awesome, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase after spinning it. Perfect review for a stellar record!

Koris
Staff Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


21957 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks everyone. I still haven't heard the band's first album yet, but I'm definitely gonna check it out now because of this one

Beardog
May 2nd 2023


5392 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Production is kinda weird but it's not that off-putting imo. Into the first track and this really sounds great. Good review too



Edit: This really sounds like what I want Wolfheart to sound like

Zac124
May 2nd 2023


3108 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Just started this album and it sounds superb so far. Love the album art too.

Zac124
May 2nd 2023


3108 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Yep, these melodies are top tier.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
May 2nd 2023


6175 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Great review Koris! This album does indeed rule.

haggmeez
May 2nd 2023


151 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

"As strange as it may sound, despite all of the misery and dejection that imbues Air Not Meant for Us, the record’s melodic leanings actually create an odd sense of comfort and hope."



This is exactly what made me initially think of the album Glow by Countless Skies from 2020 (which was my favorite album of 2020 btw).

Koris
Staff Reviewer
May 3rd 2023


21957 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks guys.



@Zac: Yeah, the melodies are really the star of the show here



@haggmeez: I've actually never checked that one out, I'll be sure to give it a listen!

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
May 3rd 2023


18262 Comments


I love a summary that looks ripe for hyperbole. Colour me intrigued.

Koris
Staff Reviewer
May 3rd 2023


21957 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

You know how I do ;D

Zac124
May 3rd 2023


3108 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This may just be me but this sounds like a proggier (and maybe better) version of Tales from the Thousand Lakes by Amorphis.

Comatorium.
May 3rd 2023


5205 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This absolutely fucks



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