Last time I saw Biblical live, at the Silver Dollar farewell shindig, I mentioned that they were long overdue for a new album. Little did I know that their second full-length record was on its way—on Tee Pee Records, no less!
The City That Always Sleeps offers eight tracks in roughly 37-and-a-half minutes, kicking off with the crashing riffs of “Mature Themes.” This garage-rock number kinda sounds like it was recorded in a garage, with vocals straining to be heard over the mix. The keyboards do add a slightly lighter touch, culminating in some sorta swirling synth solo halfway through its three-minute runtime. Those same swirling synths open “The Last Thing I Remember,” which offers more of a laid-back, almost funky groove. The verses remind me of Pink Floyd, what with the echo effect on the vocals, as this one adopts a much more mellow vibe. Ditto fourth track “Fugue State.” The title track, which appears near the end, has a decent mix of psychedelic riffs and spacey segues, and, along with the rough-hewed “House of Knives” ends the album on a strong note.
On the other hand, the notably longer (five-and-a-half minutes) “Regicide” could almost be considered alt-country, were it not for the Floydian vocals, occasional space-rock flourish and lyrics about overthrowing the monarchy(!). “Gallows Humour” is more new-wave/goth-rock with its drum-tight dance beat à la Joy Division and melancholy vocals, albeit in a higher register. And the piano-driven melodies of “Spiral Staircase” make for some soothing, relaxing grooves. I almost feel like I shouldn’t be writing this up for a heavy metal site—even calling this album heavy psych would be a bit of a stretch.
biblical.bandcamp.com/album/the-city-that-always-sleeps-2
newdamagerecords.com/releases/the-city-that-always-sleeps
Biblical – The City that Always Sleeps – OUT SEPTEMBER 15TH
