They Grieve - To Which I Bore Witness

Angry Metal Guy

To Which I Bore Witness implies an event, a singular cataclysm. Whether it is one as violent as an earthquake, or as quiet as the beating of a butterfly’s wing, it is nonetheless devastating. We bear witness to the aftermath of this event, the unfolding and the trauma – the hushed whispers of the failing light. They Grieve offers us post-apocalypse in all its majesty and melancholy. In cupped hands that offer us the last taste of salvation, the last drink of the cool spring of life. What oblivion awaits us as the light of “Weakness” fades?

They Grieve is a duo from Ottawa, whose collective experience includes acts like Alaskan, Stay Here, and Ash and Elm. While undoubtedly borrowing from the hammer force of post-metal’s poster children Neurosis and Isis, including mammoth riffs, doom percussion, and Aaron Turner-esque barks, To Which I Bore Witness drenches its facets in emotive drone, not unlike the majestic journeys of The Angelic Process or Wolvserpent. For their debut, They Grieve composes six movements and forty minutes with the utmost patience, lush swaths of ambiance and suffocatingly massive drone riffs balancing haunting melody with visceral pain. To Which I Bore Witness is a meditation, and we are welcomed with open arms to be swallowed by the earth and become dust.

To Which I Bore Witness by They Grieve

While most post-metal rides the razor’s edge between atmosphere and riffs, They Grieve is firmly placed in the former. Don’t get me wrong, the riffs are absolutely earthshaking, but they are in service to the loneliness and expanse of simple plucking and heart-wrenching synth lines. In this way, in spite of how absolutely mammoth and impenetrable To Which I Bore Witness appears, its approach is very simple and executed with patience and precision. The songwriting dynamics are impeccable, tracks like “Wither” and “Under the Weight” navigating deftly between placid waters and tremendous waves. Vicious gravity hangs onto every chug, each riff nearly cracking under their immensity and adding to amassing drone influence. Reverb and distortion soak through every movement, from the distant howls, the haunted plucking, the echoing riffs, and the synths adding explosive crescendos in “If Light Should Appear” and “Weakness.” When the melodic leads speak two different languages, the dissonance that results in the title track and “Weakness” result in stunning clarity amid suffocating tones.

To Which I Bore Witness is an interesting beast because, while it certainly utilizes the familiar methods of Isis and Neurosis, the carefully constructed drone and minimalist approach sets it apart from much of post-metal. Closers “Guided” and “Weakness” are slowly unfolding breaths in the settling ash after the destruction of the title track, vocals sparse and riffs patiently swaying, alongside a hopeless melodicism that reveals more and more with each strum and chord progression. They Grieve does not offer highlights, but rather a place of healing and mourning – under the thick veil of distortion and fog. It’s a patient place to hide, reflect, and wait, but certainly not a refuge for all listeners. In small ways, “If Light Should Appear” falls into unspectacular territory after the impressive openers “Wither” and “Under the Weight,” its melody more forgettable and riffs lacking appropriate fleshing paired with ambient segments. The reminder is that They Grieve is post-metal and drone; while it exists as an incredibly evocative and patient album, it may come across as boring and uneventful to those of different proclivities.

As “Weakness” descends into surprisingly sanguine oblivion, we are still unsure of the nature of the cataclysm. But that doesn’t matter. They Grieve presents us the aftermath, and while the end is an unknown, what lies beyond is both beautiful and devastating. Certainly not for everyone, the minimalist wreckage wrought through its forty minutes may haunt you long after or exhale through the yawn you give. To Which I Bore Witness emerges through ash, a specter of annihilation that roars in desperation and cries softly in grief. We don’t know what the end looked like, but the weight of its consequences settle heavy on our chests. Stay and witness this.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 12 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Silent Pendulum Records
Websites: theygrieve.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theygrieve
Releases Worldwide: February 24th, 2023

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