Album Rating: 3.0

Agreed, whether you like it or not, to say Sunbather didn't have a massive impact is a hard point to argue

fuck I really want a Rabbids themed bm album now

It seems this thread is way past saving now...

lol Sunbather was influential as hell. If you really wanna get pedantic, you can say that Deafheaven ripped off Wolves in the Throne Room who ripped off Weakling, but come on now. Sunbather is the template for blackgaze as we know it and let's not pretend otherwise.

As for the album, I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as the reviewer but this is absolutely a solid album for this sound. There's enough interesting experimentation too that I think the band carves out a good niche. Will definitely spin more

Album Rating: 3.5

I wouldn't say there is much Wolves' worship post-Roads to Judah, but the influence is certainly there. Either way, you're closer to the mark than that other fellow.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I think Thespirit has the general flow here (and the better level headedness) of the detractors in this thread. To dismiss Sunbather as an influence is ridiculous, whether those think that the edginess of dismissing such a common idea is at all acceptable).



It's not about plagiarism, but definitely influence. There's a lot of borrowing within this scene - and larger genre - needless to say that in this modern age the genre has been defined and constantly compared to that album to the nth.

Album Rating: 3.5

Finally got around to this. Not a big fan. I think calling it blackgaze is a stretch other than the second song. Mostly just feels like straightforward atmo-black to me.

So the purple and black on the album cover and now I'm thirsty for a new Birthday Massacre album

Did you know a new Birthday Massacre album is coming out March 27th?

Album Rating: 2.5

Numenorean are trash [2]

Wtfffffffffffffff for real????? YES DMAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Numenorean are good but I rarely feel like listening to Adore over more interesting albums. Sunbather was fun for a minute.

I liked Stars Wept but haven't checked in since the new stuff isn't on Avantgarde. I should probs spin this today.

Album Rating: 2.5

don't really get this album

Album Rating: 4.0

This is really cool. I dig the light symphonic elements a lot.

overall, this is pretty bad

Roads to Judah was a straight Alcest clone with some emo thrown in, nothing like WitTR or Weakling. Sunbather isn't a major influence in blackgaze. The major influences in blackgaze are pretty much entirely Neige but I'd also give Cold Body Radiation some credit for influencing one of the best blackgaze bands, An Autumn for Crippled Children.

Blackgaze was more of a 2005-2010 style though. By 2013, it already felt old and overdone. It's pretty much dead these days. You still have some stuff like Trautonist but that sounds almost exactly like Lantlos. Even originators like Heretoir barely sound blackgaze anymore. Other artists like Sul ad Astral just seem blackgaze adjacent now. There are still some fairly unique stuff that's stuck around since the early days like Shyy, but their 2018 record sounded almost post punk a lot of the time.

I can't point at much that I'd say stems from Deafheaven, but then again, I never found Deafheaven to be even remotely original on any level. Straight biters. No original bones in their bodies. Also their singer is the biggest choad I've ever seen at a live show. Dude seriously gives me full body douchechills.

And lastly, this Unreqvited album sounds absolutely NOTHING like Sunbather and isn't even really blackgaze at more. It's more just prog-tinged post black / atmoblack.

One more note: I do agree in some sense that Deafheaven is on the opposite end of the spectrum as Neige's music but only in the sense that Neige's music has heart and soul and Deafheaven's is just cold and sterile imitation. Alcest makes you feel something. Deafheaven is just dull and insipid and makes you feel nothing at all. No one in Deafheaven would ever in a million years be capable of writing a song as utterly breathtaking as Ciel Brouillé.