Deafheaven Bring Back the Roar on ‘Lonely People With Power’: Album Review

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music At a time when heavy metal has mutated and evolved into so many different shapes that even the term “post-metal” feels reductive, it’s hard to slap the term on anyone — especially, er, post-metal pioneers Deafheaven, whose unusual fusion of screeched vocals and blast beats with towering, majestic guitars and gentle interludes have always made them hard to pin down.

Now 15 years into their career, the band had made a hard left in their sound with 2021’s “Infinite Granite,” which found singer George Clarke dropping the goblin shriek and singing in a more conventional, dare we say alternative style.

It was a worthy experiment, but actually removed one of the key elements that made them so different, and with “Lonely People With Power,” he’s back to shredding his larynx about 90% of the time. “Return to form” is very much the vibe here, and any fans of the band’s stellar trio of 2010s albums (“Sunbather,” “New Bermuda” and “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love”) will find much to love.

But that doesn’t mean they’re repeating themselves: It’s a more refined sound, the towering textures of the guitars are more carefully crafted than ever, and the softer moments are more frequent and effective.