Religious to Damn: Glass Prayer

Religious to Damn’s lead singer, Zohra Atash, is an Afghan-American whose breathy vocal stylings are reminiscent at times of Kate Bush or Dead Can Dance. She swoops and coos and glides across a varied sonic landscape, formed for the most part by strummed guitars, layers of synths and rumbling drums. Other elements are stirred into the mix to good effect, including unusual bits of percussion, Eastern instruments like the rhubab and an unexpected interlude of chimes, but Atash herself remains in the foreground. This is as it should be, as she is the band’s most compelling element by far. On songs like “Let the Fires Burn” and “Black Sand”, her voice guides the listener across surprising territory both lyrical and emotional, while “The Wait” is a tasty, uptempo piece. The only weak song here is album closer “The Bell,” which ramps up the exotic instrumentation (good) while also focusing on Atash’s voice (oops), with the unintentional effect of revealing that voice’s limitations. Still, Religious to Damn is well worth a listen for its intriguing blend of Eastern-trad elements and pulsing, moody pop.