Review Summary: Godspeed continue developing their sound, crafting a massively heavy album that indeed sounds like a lumbering, plodding behemoth.
‘Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress' may have been met with the most trepidation upon announcement of any other Godspeed You! Black Emperor album. When the group reformed and 'Allelujah! Don’t Bend, Ascend!’ was announced, despite being comprised of songs that had been being played at live shows for years, no one seemed to have any gripes. Godspeed was back. They were touring with massively entertaining sets and a surprise new album that came from nowhere. Things were good.
For the next few years a staple of these sublime live sets was a monster of a track referred to on scribbled setlist as “Behemoth.” A lumbering forty-plus minute long beast, the song was bound to get the studio treatment eventually, and people would be happy. Right?
Well, no. It’s 2015, and being the spoiled brats of the digital age has afforded us really good bootlegs of these recent Godspeed shows, and for some reason now it’s a big deal that the new album is “recycled.” Countless comments cropped up decrying the album as just a song we’ve all heard already or claiming the band has just plain gotten lazy. Well, they probably played "Moya" live before they went into the studio to record it.
If you haven’t seen Behemoth performed live, and hell, even if you have, Asunder, Sweet is an absolute must listen. The first movement, “Peasantry or Light Inside of Light!" begins with steam, something uncharacteristic of the band, and climaxes almost immediately from a deliberately plodding drum roll to Egyptian influenced scales of distorted, wailing guitars layering upon each other in classic Godspeed fashion. The song never reaches the stratospheric crescendos of East Hastings of BBF3, but it isn’t supposed to.
The first movement fizzles out into the two most vicious pieces of drone the band has ever committed to tape. Making up the middle two tracks, “Lamb’s Breath” and “Asunder, Sweet" sound absolutely perfect as the centerpiece. The way that “Peasantry" drowns out into waves of all encompassing guitar feedback, roaring, distortion, and walls of sound is chilling.
The drone slowly builds to an ever more intense and crunching, churning tone as the guitars tracks build upon each other and somewhere between the two tracks they start to resemble riffs again as opposed to swirling drones, and the other instruments are slowly introduced back into the fold.
The cacophony of noise builds and boils over into the final movement, which is the real reason we’re here. Stupid title aside, "Piss Crowns are Trebled" stands as the band's single heaviest moment and possibly their best song since the 'Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada' days. The climax of the song has all the hallmarks of classic Godspeed; the swirling layers of bowed guitar distortion and noise, the woeful strings, the pounding, piercing dual-drumming, and most of all the gigantic riffs, played with passion and in unison.
The crescendo of “Piss Crowns” is the most powerful moment from the band since Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven. Anyone who claims that they band hasn’t changed up their sound in years should be shut up by the time the music ebbs away. The band has never sounded as visceral, raw, and downright heavy as they do here on 'Asunder, Sweet! And Other Distress'. Forget what you think you know from the bootlegs. Listen to this album, and enjoy.
