Chrome Waves Arrives With Debut Album, ‘A Grief Observed’ (album stream) (premiere)

A Grief Observed is the debut album from Chrome Waves and arrives March 1st via Disorder Recordings. The group brings together former members of Wolvhammer, Nachtmystium and Abigail Williams, the Gates of Slumber, Amiensus, and others. The new LP was engineered by Niko Albanese with the band’s James Benson and Jeff Wilson and finished with artwork by Wilson.

To celebrate the release of A Grief Observed, the band is embarking on a series of dates through the Midwest, starting February 27 and running through March 3 with Without Waves joining the tour. The band also now confirms a subsequent run of tour dates in April, with shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Portland, and Providence April 4th through 7th. Former Skeletonwitch drummer Dustin Boltjes will fill in on drums for all confirmed live dates.

Wilson made Chrome Waves his full-time gig in 2018 upon leaving Wolvhammer and Abigail Williams, recruiting guitarist/vocalist James Benson (Amienusus) and Bob Fouts on drums. By October of that year, the trio issued “Burdened”, the first single from A Grief Observed, then followed it quickly with a non-album release, a cover of Slowdive’s “When the Sun Hits”.

“It took a lot of effort, and we waited a long time to release this record and with that came a lot of different emotions: Anxiety. Sadness. Anger. Relief,” Wilson says. “I hope all of these are displayed while listening to the album. We’re stoked to play the songs live now.”

The six songs which comprise A Grief Observed might closely mirror the emotions that Wilson associates with its impending release. The opening “Burdened” appeals to the meditative sensibilities of shoegaze and post-rock as much as melodic black metal while “Past the Lights” recalls the far-reaching sensibilities of now-defunct progressive darkness masters Agalloch at their grimmest and most frightening. Elsewhere, “Predatory Animals” serves less as a cross-section of subgenres and a full-on aural assault which promises to exhilarate the heart of even the most hardened metal listener. (It also manages to feature some mind-bending lead guitar work.) “Take Another Sip” edges close to the mainstream with refined vocals lines and delicate rhythms while remaining true to the vision the trio has forged elsewhere. As one might predict, the titular cut, the record’s centerpiece is a marvelous amalgamation of all that Chrome Waves carries in its metallic arsenal.

TOUR DATES

2/27/2019 Hexagon – Minneapolis, MN w/ Without Waves

2/28/2019 Livewire – Chicago, IL w/ Without Waves

3/01/2019 Black Circle Brewing – Indianapolis, IN w/ Without Waves

3/02/2019 Open Community Arts Center – Louisville, KY w/ Without Waves

3/03/2019 Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI w/ Without Waves

4/04/2019 Coalition TO – Toronto, ON

4/05/2019 Mavericks – Ottawa, ON

4/06/2019 Sun Tiki Studios – Portland, ME

4/07/2019 Dusk – Providence, RI