Album review: Will Haven – VII

Pick a band. Any band. Go on, have a think and come back to us. You see, it doesn’t really matter what pedals, amps or gauge strings you kit them out with, or which fancy-schmancy producer they use to beef things up. Sure, they might sound heavy – rrrreally heavy, even – but they still won’t be capable of conjuring the profane noise that Will Haven have perfected for over a quarter of a century. The latest irrefutable evidence of this arrives with their stunning new outing VII. Welcome to the antithesis of easy listening, folks.

Part of what makes Will Haven unique is that they have, as their vocalist, Grady Avenell delivering every word, syllable and scream like it’s cleaving his sternum in two. What’s often overlooked due to this innate ferocity, however, are his gifts as a lyricist. And a sensitive one at that. He may sound like he’s being flayed alive as No Stars To Guide Me – a brilliant song which wrestles with fate via Norse mythology – comes to an end, but what he actually screams is a sweet sentiment: ‘I fall in love all over.’ This inhuman noise has a human soul.

Musically, Will Haven has as its spine the remarkable riffs of Jeff Irwin. One of the most perennially underappreciated guitarists out there, he is a master of slow tempo savagery, mid-tempo maulings and high-tempo hurt. Opener Luna, for example, has already thoroughly kicked your head in by the time it breaks through its own sonic murk to fully erupt 40-seconds in. From the bended riff of For All Future Time to the convulsing one on 5 Of Fire, Jeff is in imperious form.

With all of that said, Will Haven remain easy to misunderstand – they have never subscribed to the notion of heavy for heavy’s sake. This has never been as true as it is on VII. Thanks to the keys and piano work of Jeff and Sean Bivins, they add beauty to the vortex of dissonance. They’re often playing at their loudest and softest at the same time. The album’s compelling parting note La Ultima Nota, for one, saw Jeff sift through 300 submissions from fans to turn their guitar, piano, flute and bass notes into an eerie soundscape. Can someone please give the man a horror film to score right now.

Because there is virtually no justice in the world, Will Haven have largely existed as a cult concern, and this latest firestorm of noise isn’t exactly going to change that. With cheery lyrics like ‘the worms won’t be denied’, Feeding The Soil simply isn’t the feel-good summer anthem they perhaps desperately need. As it was, so it always will be: the passive listener’s loss will be the loyal Will Havenites’ gain. Look no further than the two-part Diablito, which quickly cements itself as one of their finest songs. ‘Father, your higher power has blood on his hands,’ wails Grady over a musical bed both elegant and harrowing. It perfectly encapsulates this Will Haven outing: it will perforate your soul, as well as your eardrums.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Converge, Deftones, Cave In

VII is released on July 7 via Minus Head

Read this: Jesus Piece: “Our music calls to something dark in people. It pulls out that primal side”