I savor watching a band get better and better with each release.  I reviewed BleakHeart’s 2020 debut Dream Griever, liking it well enough, and it has only grown on me since then.  Their new album Silver Pulse, however, is head and shoulders above the debut, and is an instant favorite for me.  It released on May 24^th.

BleakHeart come to us from Denver, Colorado.  Listening to them, you might not guess that, though.  The lineup includes JP Damron and Mark Chronister on guitars, Kiki GaNun on vocals and synth, Kelly Schilling on vocals, keys, synth, and bass guitar, and Joshua Quinones on drums.  This album also includes a string quartet that features Amy Rosenberg on violin, Ciarra Denman on violin, Anthony Limon on viola, and Ron Schilling III on cello.

I’m having more difficulty pinning down the band’s sound than last time.  The band certainly has a doom aesthetic, but not really metal.  It’s more of a doom-inspired Gothic post-rock with alternative and ambient elements.  Their music trades between hovering vistas and driving riffs, and on this album, the strings provide a melodic surge in all the right moments, whether accompanying a cinematic, heavy climax or possibly a haunting, floating aura.  You don’t hear strings like this with doom or ambient all that often, and so it really sticks out for me.

I should mention, too, the vocals.  I like how melancholy they can be, but also raw and passionate.  There are moments on the album where the vocals drive themselves into my very spine with how crystal clear and fiery they are.  The lyrics are very well written, too, as the album speaks to understanding the powers outside of your control, while also positioning your body and mind to be accepting of that fact.  In a way, it’s about growing up and learning what the world is like and setting the grit of your teeth towards facing that reality for the life ahead of you.  Silver Pulse really is a fantastic expression of the band’s sound.  It has the emotion, the atmosphere, the melody, and the intelligence necessary to offer a riveting experience. 

I think I like the second half a little more than the first, but that’s splitting hairs.  The album has six tracks and lasts about 40 minutes.  I love the opener “All Hearts Desire”, a slow-burning track with relatable lyrics and flaming, climactic ending.  “Sinking Sea” is a hovering piece with a gorgeous, nuanced chorus; the song grows steadily and quietly in strength, and I love the serenity of the last moments.  “Where I’m Disease” is a track of realization; I like how it mixes subtle riffs with ethereal vocals and waves of emotion.

The second half really sticks the landing, though.  “Let Go” is a shorter song with synth and ambient textures and distant, unnerving strings; the vocals fade in eventually, and feel expressive and anticipatory.  As the strings rise near the end, the songs plays directly into “Weeping Willow”; the opening moments are absolutely gorgeous.  The song gets right into it, too, marching forward and adding layer upon layer until a fire emerges again.  I like the atmospheric touches ear the end, and the fantastic chorus.

I think my favorite, though, is the closer “Falling Softly”, at least for the moment.  This eight-minute piece is ambient and echoing.  It is somehow melancholy and bright simultaneously, and the vocals feel particularly vulnerable.  I love how, when the doomy riffs rise near the end, the strings rise with them, making the song feel dimly lit by candles of emotion and space.  I don’t know, the melody just feels so…so nostalgic and wholesome.  The closing minutes are truly beautiful and maybe even cinematic, except in a personal and heartfelt fashion.  I can’t get enough of it.

BleakHeart have bested their excellent debut.  Silver Pulse is a beautiful album of dark discoveries and emboldened hearts that will certainly give you goosebumps.  The layers of darkness and light that they have created are really sticking with me, and I find myself revisiting it constantly. 

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