Review Summary: The only holy book is the one inside your heart
Flowers where I lay my head to rest / withering in spite of me
Children of the Moon shouldn’t exist.
Loyal fans who have ravenously been awaiting State Faults’ fourth full-length album likely just did a hearty double take at that statement, an especially vexing one given that perfect score you see up there next to my username. It’s a statement that proves itself true both circumstantially and creatively, as the latest offering from these NorCal screamo icons represents a momentous shift for them on both personal and musical fronts. The five laborious years that followed 2019’s
Clairvoyant may have erased your memory of the long hiatus the band took
before creating that album, only for the group to endure exponentially more hardship in its aftermath. While they were blessed to return to a four-member lineup with the addition of bassist Jef Overn, State Faults’ arrival into the 2020s saw them financially and musically shackled. The complete collapse of No Sleep Records not only hamstrung the band’s activity and cash flow, but also the initial version of
Children of the Moon, a mysterious beast of a record which seems to have achieved enlightenment through its dark origins. It lay dormant, waiting to strike, for the better part of two years before the band signed with Deathwish Inc. and beat the odds of a merciless industry to share the fruits of their labor with the world. Content aside, the existence of this record is a miracle.
Content considered, the existence of this record is…still kind of a miracle. Within the context of State Faults’ discography, their latest release sticks out like a sore thumb for all the right reasons. Its heavier songs are more punishing than ever before, its peaceful and contemplative moments are more thoughtfully composed and executed, it’s almost as long as the last two State Faults albums combined, and the flow of its tracklist is defined by two 9+ minute epics that are unlike anything the band has written to date. The album’s resolve to expand upon all aspects of the State Faults sound is obvious and praiseworthy, while its inclusion of clever curveballs will effortlessly entrance listeners from tranquil opening to thunderous conclusion.
I am never a calm blue sea, I am always just a storm
The band patiently waits to show all their cards until its audience is fully consumed by anticipation. Prelude “Fragile Light” comes across as a kind of divinely inspired transmission from the spirit world, punctuated by breezy chimes, the lunar spectre of the tides, and a mesmerizing spoken word excerpt that seamlessly transitions into the dazzling one-two punch of previously released singles “Blood Moon” and “Palo Santo”. Each of these tracks can be thought of as a microcosm of
Children of the Moon’s intent as a record, and they expertly blend everything that made past State Faults efforts great with the band’s new aims. “Blood Moon” is particularly stunning, in part because of just how damn
massive the song gets as it barrels towards its car-crash ending. Overn makes a whale of an entrance to his first State Faults record, as he and drummer Jared Wallace leave an unforgettable impression with their coordinated rhythmic attack, perfectly juxtaposing the dueling spacey guitar leads of Jonny Andrew and Michael Weldon. Andrew’s vocals deserve special attention this time around, and I already thought they were the ingredient that made State Faults a truly great band before this record. His vocal versatility throughout
Children must be heard to be believed, and this does not simply mean that more clean vocals are utilized throughout the album, although those are great too. “Blood Moon” showcases much of what he can do with his voice, as he toes the line between maudlin and proud, rage and forgiveness, emptiness and rebirth. His ability to embody the themes of his lyricism through his vocal delivery has never been more developed than it is on
Children, and on many occasions it’s the special sauce that allows a song to enter transcendent territory, with examples ranging from “Blood Moon” to the blistering “Heat Death” or monumental closer “Bodega Head”.
Is it like dying? I’ve felt that before.
The vocals aren’t the only component that have leveled up, as the band’s instrumentals sound fuller and more secure with a four member lineup and songs written to accommodate it. The aforementioned dueling melodies and tremolos of “Blood Moon” are just one shining example of the collective instrumental prowess on display throughout
Children’s runtime; Wallace has long been one of my favorite drummers, and thankfully his ferocious orchestration and trademark left foot tambourine are here to stay. His contributions are a bit tamer on the singles, but when he is able to fully let loose on tracks like “Heat Death”, “Palm Reader”, or the staggering “Nazar”, his ear for arrangement and dynamics results in some of the most memorable moments on the album. The guitar work ranges from ethereal to sludgy to frenetic to acoustic(!!!), with Andrew laying down some of his most impressive solos yet on tracks like “Leviathan” and “Bodega Head”. Perhaps most importantly,
Children demonstrates the group’s more fully developed songwriting abilities.
Clairvoyant, while a phenomenal album, featured a handful of tracks that felt either underdeveloped or less focused than its obvious highlights. No such issue here; observe the way “Nazar”’s eerie intro blooms into a borderline blackgaze maelstrom, the inevitable downpour of “Wind Song” and "Bodega Head", the pitch perfect tempo shift on “Distant Omen”, or the astutely executed chill vibes of “Transfiguration”.
Then there’s “No Gospel”, a ten-minute monster casting a shadow over the entirety of the record (the interlude preceding it is even called “Looming”), and serving as not only the centerpiece of State Faults’ best record, but as the best song in their entire catalog. It emerges from the ominous ambience of “Looming” as a swampy dirge adorned with haunting choral background vocals, lumbering percussion, and anguished vocals from Andrew. Further signifying the band’s songwriting growth, the track is then able to make a hard left turn into the most impressive section of the band’s career, an upbeat spiritual odyssey that culminates in a fervent refrain of “the only holy book is the one inside your heart”, underpinned by frenzied drumming, throat-ripping gang vocals, an organ that somehow doesn’t ruin everything, and one of the most triumphant guitar leads the album has to offer, before slipping back into the idyllic distance between our world and the next, a mournful fingerpicked acoustic all that remains.
Do I get to start again, or have I closed the gates of heaven?
Children of the Moon is the State Faults record I’ve been waiting for. It’s conceptually bold, musically astounding, and manages to be entirely its own while doing justice to the incredible records that the band’s fan base grew to love over the 2010s. “Nazar” concludes with a sound bite much like the ones that end “Fragile Light” and “Palo Santo” that discusses the idea of one’s spiritual boundaries being fully dissolved, and the blissful realization that earthly death is nothing more than rebirth into a new consciousness. I imagine this sensation is quite like the experience of writing, producing, and releasing this record, a creative work born of hardship that was unable to be suppressed by circumstances. It’s the jolt of energy that 2024 needs, a hell of a musical statement from State Faults, and my easy choice for album of the year at this point in time. Listen to it ASAP.
