Seahaven "Halo of Hurt" Review
If one thing is to be made abundantly clear by Seahaven’s Halo of Hurt, it is that this is not the same band that made 2014’s brilliant Reverie Lagoon. That fact may be initially disconcerting to some, but rest assured - with Halo of Hurt, Seahaven have crafted their masterpiece. This album feels like a true moment, not just for Seahaven’s discography, but for the entire scene surrounding them.
Halo of Hurt opens with the one-two punch of six minute epic “Void” and menacing first single “Moon”. Immediately, the album embraces a newfound darkness that oozes from nearly every moment of its forty minute runtime. “Void” begins with droning synths and sub-bass, while flourishes of piano and strings rise up in the background. Vocalist Kyle Soto quickly helps to set the tone as he laments, “There’s a void I’ve been filling for some time with nothing good, nothing good”. The song continues to build to the two minute mark, where suddenly everything comes crashing down around an absolutely massive wall of sound. The band continues to play with these extreme dynamic shifts as the song concludes in the single heaviest moment on the record.
After the onslaught of its first two tracks, the band slows down slightly for album standout “Dandelion”. Regardless of the more reserved tone, that same darkness is on full display here. “Dandelion” is a dense and brooding masterclass on dynamics and atmosphere, accentuated by distorted drum samples and lush synth swells.
“I Don’t Belong Here” and “Lose” offer up the first real chance to take a breath in this dense world that Seahaven has created. “Lose” may very well be the most beautiful song the band has written in its career, and acts as a centerpiece for this emotionally crushing record. This moment doesn’t last long though, as “Harbor” immediately roars in with one of the most aggressive sections on the whole album. The band keeps utilizing massive dynamic shifts, making the anthemic chorus of “Harbor” feel like a real statement each and every time through.
The final third of the record is ushered in with the most sinister-sounding song on Halo of Hurt. The ominous “Living Hell” reinforces the darkness that weaves through the six previous tracks, and creates an overwhelming sense of impending doom. Penultimate track “Bait” is the first and only song here that feels like familiar territory for Seahaven; however, this feeling is quickly revealed to be only a mirage as the second half of the track results in one final massive crescendo.
“Eraser” closes out the record on a more subdued, almost folky note. There’s a palpable sense of grief and loss radiating from this track, as Soto sings “You were a children’s toy that I shook real hard until you were no more”. As the album fades out to a close, the emotional weight of these nine tracks hangs in the air as if it were always there, and always will be.
With Halo of Hurt, Seahaven have made their classic - an album equally as impressive emotionally as it is compositionally. And while sonically miles away from its predecessor, Halo of Hurt sounds like a band completely reinvigorated and ready for whatever comes next.
