If you translated Neurosis to a small classical quintet you might end up with Bitter River. Amber Asylum is a darkwave band from San Francisco who, 4 albums into their career, have made the progressive leap in their writing to produce their most developed and organic album thus far. Still Point was the record that granted the band noticeable acclaim, yet it was riddled with amateur mistakes such as a lack of cohesion through each song due to overdrawn sections or soulless music. With Bitter River they have become more in touch with the concept they wish to represent, that being releasing the grip on obscure emotion, and in doing so are granted to let the true music flow right through them.
Right from the start of the first song, the production is distinctly clear and hollow as if they were recording under the waves. The vocals are ethereal and more confident than in the past, giving her more room to expand her character. It’s songs like Twilight and Mountain Haze that make you wonder how the band could grow so fast, what with the shapeless style of the arrangements that never stray to uninteresting realms. Fear And Doubt is the most sonically driven track because of its post rock adaptations in the higher layers of the track, tremolo strings attached to one note as the cellos emulate their dirge as expressively as ever. Winter Winds is one of the few tracks to contain a guitar as it’s used in a classical form almost like a harp pushing the song to a fragile tone. Percussion is another sparse instrument, but when used it’s very effective (see Nocturne).
Throughout Bitter River a subtle tidal wave of energy is transferred from the sounds that could only come from a band in touch with their sound. If Amber Asylum is able not only continue, but pursue this sound for the sake of learning more about its elements and how to implement them, they can truly become one of the strongest acts in darkwave history. This is just their beginning.
