As I was watching the third season of Twin Peaks that aired over the summer, one of the artists I was desperately hoping to see perform at the Roadhouse was Chelsea Wolfe. Her doom influenced sound combined with the forlorn prettiness of her songwriting seemed perfect to bookend another entry in David Lynch and Mark Frost’s saga. While the performance may not have come off, as I listen to Hiss Spun I can’t help but think of how some of these songs would have been perfect as the performance in Part 8 (no spoilers but if you know, you know). There are moments on this album that are equally as, if not more so, oppressive than (The) Nine Inch Nails performance in that episode, but simultaneously as sublime as Angelo Badalamenti’s ‘Falling’ or ‘Laura’s Palmers Theme’ due to both of their tendencies to really tease out dissonant phrases before finally offering a harmonic resolution.
The first thing apparent from opener ‘Spun’ is the sonic shift from her last album, Abyss. While not a complete departure, Hiss Spun sounds thicker and harder, which is saying something considering Abyss had songs as huge-sounding as ‘Carrion Flowers’ on it. It’s produced by Kurt Ballou, formerly of Converge, who’s also produced the likes of Code Orange’s Forever. The pairing between Kurt and Chelsea makes complete sense, the abrasiveness he brings to Code Orange translating into an equally arresting wall of sound in the context of Hiss Spun. The result is similar to the pummelling intensity yet undeniable beauty of a Deafheaven track. When the drums on ‘Spun’ suddenly transition into a black metal beat for a few bars it becomes clear that this album is doubling down on the darkness that’s defined Chelsea Wolfe’s past output. This is also clear on ‘Vex’, another standout which just builds and builds in intensity and even when the peak appears to have been reached, guest-vocalist Aaron Turner enters the fray and suddenly ratchets it up another notch with his growls.
The bridge of ‘The Culling’ is a great example of how important tension is on this album. After almost two and a half minutes of ominous verse, everything except the bass drops out, a chugging noise burst and huge snare signalling their departure. A single vibrato’d guitar note runs out as the drum kit gradually reenters, finally building to the climax the song has been hinting at for over 3 minutes in one of the album’s most cathartic moments.
These slow builds and shifts are one of the defining features of the album. Most songs feature some hugely purgative transitions between dissonance and harmony that also coincide with the shifts in intensity. For example, ’Two Spirit’ begins as an acoustic track with very subtle but menacing drums, slowly ratcheting up until a wave of distortion enters the mix and Wolfe’s skeletal falsetto shifts even higher and seems to almost waltz and swirl around the guitar in the mix. It’s one of many moments that really shifts this album from being good to being one of the best of the year. There’s zero filler and even the two interlude tracks are just as interesting and listenable as any of the ‘proper’ tracks. Chelsea Wolfe’s music has always been solid, but this is an achievement in its own tier.
9/10
Words by Jack Hollis