Greyhaven’s Beautifully Bright World (REVIEW)

Greyhaven sent shockwaves throughout the post-hardcore/metalcore scene in 2018 with their second release, ‘Empty Black.’ Their blend of intense, Every Time I Die-esque riffs with a contrasting melodic composure, Greyhaven established their ability to craft some of the best music the genre has to offer. After nearly 4 years, they return yet again with their third full-length, ‘This Bright and Beautiful World,’ picking up right where they left off: aggressive and beautiful.

To open up the album, “In A Room Where Everything Dies” thrusts listeners into immediate chaos, welcoming the manic riffing and blistering drum beats accompanied by abrasive screams that match the intense atmosphere. These opening moments set the stage for the rest of the record: an album full of heavy-hitting riffs with plenty of aggressive moments. “More and More Hands” and “A Painful and Necessary Action” waste no time, jumping right into some of Greyhaven’s most unhinged musical moments with dissonant guitar work and pummeling grooves. “The Quiet Shakes” adorns itself with a chunky chug riff that slowly devolves into a panic-alarm style progression, displaying more of the band’s heavier side. However, all of these tracks have their fair share of clean breaks. With every manic moment comes a melodic explosion of beauty, leading into some of the group’s most impactful choruses, providing a fantastically designed break from the madness.

On the other end of ‘This Bright and Beautiful World’ lies the few primarily clean songs. Lead single “All Candy” shows a new side of Greyhaven, one that delves deeper into the ‘poppier’ elements of metal, resulting in a catchy, infectious groove that mellowly places itself within the tracklist. “Fed to the Lights” breaks up the album perfectly, providing a fresh breath from the surrounding chaos by developing a composition of more controlled riffs and beautiful melodies that erupt throughout the chorus. To close off the record, Greyhaven goes a step further into the cleaner style with “Ornaments From The Well,” crafting the most ambitious track of the record. Embellished with reverberated guitar progressions, beautifully-laden atmospheric ambiance, and captivating vocal harmonies, the closer of this record goes above and beyond in providing the best possible climax to an already impressive record. 

With their most recent output, Greyhaven has further established their identity within the post-hardcore/metalcore scene, proving that they are worthy of being at the top. Their impressive combination of the beautiful and the chaotic provides great balance to their music, giving listeners a fresh take with each new track they endure. With two outstanding records under their belts, Greyhaven’s career is sure to be an astounding one.