"Empty surrounds all of me." It's a poignant line from the third album
by Blackwater Holylight that encapsulates the search for self when
suddenly everything has changed. There's a theme of processing vast
personal trauma throughout Silence/Motion that eloquently-both
lyrically and musically-and simultaneously embodies the crushing
emptiness, sorrow, strength and rebuilding of recovering from personal
devastation.
Curiously, considering the dark times in which it was created, this is
the band's most melodic and catchy music so far. Blackwater Holylight,
as the name suggests, is all about contrasts: it's a fluid convergence of
sound that's heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful
all at once. Silence/Motion finds the band honing those contrasts,
letting ideas and moods fully develop from song to song, rather than
filling every song with a full range of their capabilities. It allows the
band to go fully prog-rock here, and simply stay hushed and intimate
there. There's a new confidence to the band in how seamlessly they
wield their stylistic amalgam.
The band recorded the album as a four piece: Allison "Sunny" Faris
on vocals and guitar (on "Silence/Motion", "MDIII", "Around You"
and "Every Corner") and bass for the remainder, Sarah McKenna
on synths, Mikayla Mayhew on guitar (and bass when Faris plays
guitar) and drummer Eliese Dorsay. New second guitarist Erika
Osterhout will perform the songs with them live. For Silence/Motion
the band chose to work with a producer for the first time, bringing in
A.L.N. (of Mizmor, Hell) to produce, along with recording engineer
Dylan White-who also helmed their previous album Veils Of Winter
(2019)-at Odessa Recording Studio in Portland, OR. Guest vocals
on album opener "Delusional" are by Bryan Funck (Thou.) Mike
Paparo (Inter Arma) and A.LN. (Mizmor, Hell) lend guest vocals to
album closer "Every Corner".
