When the Deadbolt Breaks - In the Glow of the Vatican Fire

Angry Metal Guy

When the Deadbolt Breaks is a name designed to elicit feelings of horror. It could be the mundane horror of needing to shell out cash to replace a busted deadbolt, or the life-and-death horror of the deadbolt snapping while you’re trying to lock out a deadly assailant. This fits with the band’s exploration into unsettling music that evokes psychological horror. In the Glow of the Vatican Fire marks album number seven in the 20-year career of these Connecticut doom-slingers. The Metal Archives reveals a band with a history of cycling through members, and that shows through their shifting sound from album to album. Yet lead songwriter Aaron Lewis has been consistent in his intent to unsettle listeners. For those of you stumbling into this review in search of how to fix a broken deadbolt, prepare instead for a dose of sludge-y horror.

To achieve their core sludge/doom sound, When the Deadbolt Breaks uses fuzzy, trudging guitars and plodding drums. Expect long, drawn-out guitar riffs played at the speed of funeral doom, a la Godthrymm. Aaron Lewis mixes it up, however, by occasionally plucking in a manner reminiscent of Dolven’s acoustic doom or speeding things up with frantic tremolos. The ghostly chanting of Amber Leigh achieves a haunting beauty; she sounds eerily serene as she sings about the coming of death in “The Scythe Will Come.” In The Glow of the Vatican Fire isn’t just another slow, plodding doom record, however. It features lots of tempo shifts. The follow-up to the slower-paced, gentler opening track is a frenzied, chaotic “Deus Vault,” which turns up the dial on the noise and features frenetic drumming from Rob Birkbeck. These tempo shifts are common within songs, switching from breakneck speed to turtle crawl, enhancing their narrative and emotional effects.

In the Glow of the Vatican Fire creates a variety of moods, ranging from hopeful to manic to depressed, thanks to the varied vocal performances of Lewis and Leigh. On “The Deep Well,” the two alternate singing parts, Leigh crooning with a lilting, plaintive voice, while Lewis sounds more pained as he warbles about struggles with depression. Instrumentation is also key in developing mood. When the Deadbolt Breaks frequently builds tension through the use of riffs and drumming that grow in intensity over time, with the tension released in a manic frenzy. Lewis adds to the terror of these instrumental outbursts with menacing, violent growls (“The Deep Well”). Not all choices work equally well. Some songs feature vocal texturing that’s meant, perhaps, to be jarring (“The Scythe Will Come,” “Burning Zozobro”), but it instead serves as a distraction from the story, the same way bad CGI can ruin a movie.

Whenever an album surpasses the hour mark, it can be difficult to justify all of the choices that go into the songwriting. In the Glow of the Vatican Fire consists of eight tracks, half of them over ten minutes long. I enjoyed the long-form songs a little more than the shorter ones because Lewis and company prove to be effective storytellers. However, there are questionable choices made in the name of experimentation. Take “The Chaos of Water” as an example. This tune has some of my favorite and least favorite moments on the record. The opening, thrashy two minutes are tons of fun, and the final four minutes feature Leigh’s best singing. However, the middle portion slows to a crawl while a robotic voice gives a speech over a single, slow riff strumming repeatedly. It kills the narrative on what was otherwise a very compelling song. Sometimes When the Deadbolt Breaks does too much where simpler would be more effective.

I realize that an hour-long sludge record is the true horror for many metal fans. Yet When the Deadbolt Breaks have composed a well-written album that’s worth spending a few hours with. Based on my overview of prior records, In the Glow of the Vatican Fire is also their best. The presence of Leigh is a massive boon. But it’s also clear that Lewis has improved his songwriting acumen. True, he has some work to do in the editing department, but for the most part, the 10+ minute songs earn every second. He proves to be a master of the slow build, and if you have patience, you’ll find the payoff to be rewarding. I hope When the Deadbolt Breaks can return with all members intact and a wiser Lewis penning his tales of existential horror.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Argonauta Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 27th, 2025

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