Ever since I got smitten by the so-called hipster black-metal bands – well, y’know, ALCEST, DEAFHEAVEN, and the like – I have readily indulged myself in all sorts of metal albums that even remotely resonated with the said sonic aura. One of the most unique names to drop in this context is the Belgian post-black-metal outfit, OATHBREAKER, a band that is part of the CHURCH OF RA collective along with AMENRA, WIEGEDOOD, HESSIAN, and the BLACK HEART REBELLION. Released on Deathwish Inc., their 2016 full-length “Rheia” remains one of the band’s most cherished endeavors, so now that it celebrates its 10th anniversary on September 30th, it grants me an excellent opportunity to revisit the album and take a closer look at its inner workings. Basically, the album is all about the back-and-forth between soft atmospherics and harsh intensity, as per the conventions of the genre, so what made this particular beast so special in the eyes and ears of so many? I mean, even in 2016, it was not exactly uncommon to sprinkle a good dose of fairy dust in the middle of a brutal riff and blast-beat carnage. What made “Rheia” stand out from the ever-growing ocean of delicate post-whatever-noise at the time was, for one thing, the extremely sullen atmosphere that pervades every song on this selection. In fact, the album’s overarching mood is very bleak, bordering on discomforting unease. The band’s sound took a quantum leap, you could say, in the three years between “Rheia” and its predecessor “Eros/Anteros” (2013) by preserving the raw power of their original post-hardcore rage and dipping it neck-deep in harrowing melancholy. By doing so, OATHBREAKER added a new, haunting layer of emotive power to their signature sound.
One of the band’s unique fortes is vocalist Caro Tanghe, with a vocal range going from haunting wailing to almost hysterical screaming, sometimes within a single song, like in “Being Able to Feel Nothing.” Then, the next thing you know, she goes into a haunting country mode; in the following acoustic song, “Stay Here / Accroche-Moi,” her whispery vocals resonate almost with the somewhat Southern Gothic air of, say, Lana Del Rey at her darkest (had the vocals not been drenched in reverb, this impression might have been even stronger). Compared to the previous two albums, “Rheia” feels like the point in the band’s trajectory where her vocal prowess really blossomed out. Large parts of the album’s appeal stem from the soul-crushing atmosphere created by her vehement delivery as her vocals go through old memories of anger, despair, and discontent. Pair that with song lengths of 7 minutes or more, and you could say things get a bit intense – but in all the right ways, of course.
On closer look, the first half of the album seems to be more about the relentless emotional massacre, and toward the end, the songs take off on a bit more tranquil tangent overall. I wouldn’t necessarily dub the last couple of tracks soothing, though. Cathartic, yes, but soothing? Maybe not so much. Long story short, “Rheia” is a masterpiece of crusty and blackened post-metal, and for a moment, it almost seemed to become the band’s haunting swansong. After the release of this superb album, the band decided to down their tools and went on a near-10-year hiatus. According to one online theory, it had something to do with the frontlady breaking up with the band’s guitarist, while some other rumors pinned it down to the exhaustive toll of touring with songs of such emotional weight – think about summoning your personal demons back to life in front of a live audience night after night. Now, 10 years later, there have been rumors about the band releasing a redux version of this masterpiece album. While the band members have been active with other projects since, there’s no denying the spectre of “Rheia” looms large over their lives – still. No wonder the band reunited for a couple of festival performances this year to play the album in its entirety as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. With any luck, we might even get a successor to it one day? Yeah, the band did release a new single and a new EP just before the pandemic, but “Rheia” remains their last full-length studio album to this day. To be honest, I’m not looking forward so much to hearing a reinterpretation of this particular album, because it was perfect just as it was. I would rather have an album of entirely new music from this band. It’s been a while…
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- 10:56
- Second Son of R.
- Being Able to Feel Nothing
- Stay Here / Accroche-Moi
- Needles in Your Skin
- Immortals
- I’m Sorry, This Is
- Where I Live
- Where I Leave
- Begeerte
Lineup
Gilles Demolder – bass, guitars
Ivo Debrabandere – drums
Lennart Bossu – guitars
Caro Tanghe – vocals
Label
Deathwish Inc.
