Review Summary: Just the beginning of night
Night Verses has established themselves as instrumental geniuses.
From the Gallery of Sleep proved this with their impressive display of heavy riffing, peaceful ambiance, and dynamic songwriting. The trio of guitarist Nick DePirro, drummer Aric Improta, and bassist Reilly Herrera are each extraordinarily talented on their own, yet accentuate each other’s proficiency through their performances.
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night builds upon the instrumental success of Night Verses’ previous album. Much like the album itself, this review is split into two parts to amplify the power of the album’s division.
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Sometimes words aren’t necessary. After sitting with the first 30 minutes of the album for half a year, Night Verses’ technical instrumentation speaks louder than words could ever. A lucid landscape presents itself throughout
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night embedded within the dream-like atmosphere, interrupted only by subtle and brief audio clips. Much like its predecessor, the record relies on a dynamic that is sometimes volatile. “8 Gates of Pleasure'' opens with a haunting sense of urgency as the drums roll through with an accentuating siren-like effect. This explodes into a chorus full of vibrant guitar and bass leads that maneuver along into a punishing riff and drum groove that is both heavy and catchy. “Arrival” and “Bound to You” follow a similar pattern, with fast-paced riffs and leads contrasted by softer verses with smooth bass passages and fluid drumming.
However, not every track contains that stark contrast between the heavier songwriting and ambient sections. “Rose Wire” and “Love In A Liminal Space” interject themselves in between tracks of controlled chaos, opting to dive deep into the atmospheric progressions of synth pads, bass grooves, and clean guitar leads rather than the intensity found in the surrounding sections. “Séance,” which has the first feature in Night Verses’ discography from bassist Justin Chancellor of Tool, continues to follow the path of these softer tracks, allowing the instrumentation to flow uninterrupted. It’s a tranquil conclusion to the return of Night Verses.
But it isn’t a conclusion now, is it? No, this is only just the beginning. This beautiful, yet at times chaotic, dreamstate is just establishing itself. Can’t you hear the colors of the valley of night?
