The latest from Cleveland goth-doom act Frayle is a spiritual journey into sonic darkness.
It doesn't seem like Frayle are trying to be scary, but it's undeniable that something about them sends a shiver up your spine. The Cleveland-based gothic doom act -- fronted by vocalist Gwyn Strang and guitarist Sean Bilovecky (formerly of Ohio's Disengage) -- play a mixture of groaning metal and beautiful occult rock that feels inherently menacing, if not outright aggressive or furious. It might be the use of Strang's tinkling vocals over Sean's throbbing downer riffs that create an atmosphere of spiritual creepiness, like a ghost singing a nursery rhyme over the rumbling of the haunted house around you. Whatever the case, the band's music is effectively stirring for everyone who keeps autumn in their hearts all year round.
The band's new video for the track Godless off of their upcoming album 1692 showcases that hard line between metal's jagged edge and the yawning void of goth. The footage is a constant swing between two types of imagery -- objects of worship, including amp tubes and guitar pedals (you have to love seeing tuner knobs with ancient pagan runes carved under them), and Strang dressed as a spiritual oracle. At times, the singer looks like the Madonna in her draped robe and shining eyes; others, she goes full Salem witch, arching at a pulpit with blood running down her face. The combination has a dark spiritual bent to it, and feels both welcoming and brisk in its stark presentation.
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"Godless is a song about how we don't live in the moment," says Gwyn. "We look for meaning in the mundane, and we ruminate about how our lives would be so much better 'if only...'"
Watch our exclusive premiere of Frayle's Godless below:
Frayle's 1692 comes out Friday, February 14, and is available for preorder.
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