Roads to Judah

Last updated
Roads to Judah
Deafheaven Roads to Judah 2011.png
Studio album by
Deafheaven
ReleasedApril 26, 2011 (2011-04-26)
RecordedDecember 2010 – January 2011
StudioAtomic Garden Studio, East Palo Alto, California
Genre
Length38:21
Label Deathwish (DW120)
Producer Jack Shirley, Deafheaven
Deafheaven chronology
Demo
(2010)		Roads to Judah
(2011)		 Deafheaven / Bosse-de-Nage
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Decibel 8/10 [3]
Metal Storm 9.3/10 [4]
Rock Sound 6/10 [5]
RVA Positive [2]

Roads to Judah is the debut studio album by the American blackgaze band Deafheaven. The album was released by Deathwish Inc. on April 26, 2011. [6] Roads to Judah was recorded in four days between December 2010 and January 2011. [7]

Contents

About

The album title is a reference to N Judah, one of the busiest lines in the San Francisco transit system. [8] Lyrically, the album is about Clarke's substance abuse. [9]

Reception

Roads to Judah was met with generally positive reviews. Shane Mehling of Decibel gave the album an eight out of ten, and praised it for pushing the boundaries of black metal. He wrote that, "This band produces long, incredibly beautiful black metal that, aside from the buried shrieks of the vocalist, doesn't have a drop of evil or noticeable malice" and that Deafheaven is "sure as hell doing a lot more with the genre than the newest batch of gauntlet-wearing Darkthrone worshipers." [3] Graham Scala of RVA Magazine wrote that Deafheaven's songs are, "all a series of graceful transitions and dynamic shifts in timbre, rather than marathon blastbeat sessions or one effects-laden crescendo after another. This is a distinction which not only separates them from the majority of their contemporaries, but has provided the basis for a memorable and compelling release." [2] However, Alex Deller of Rock Sound gave the album a six out of ten stating that Deafheaven's blend of black metal and shoegaze was not "an entirely new proposition" and compared the album to the music of Liturgy. [5]

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeRank
The A.V. Club [10] USLoud's Top 15 of 201112
Decibel [11] USTop 40 Extreme Albums of 201136
MSN [12] USThe Top 50 Albums of 201117
NPR [13] USThe Best Metal Albums of 20116
Pitchfork [14] USTop 40 Metal Albums of 201122

Track listing

All songs written and recorded by Deafheaven. [7]

No.TitleLength
1."Violet"12:19
2."Language Games"6:46
3."Unrequited"9:31
4."Tunnel of Trees"9:45
Total length:38:21

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. [7]

Deafheaven

Production

Artwork

Related Research Articles

Pulling Teeth was an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland. Formed in 2005, the band released several recordings, and toured many times throughout North America, Europe and Japan before settling down and becoming a studio band. Dom is currently the manager of the air freshener section of the highlandtown Pep Boys. They announced their break-up on their official website in December 2011 and played their final show in Baltimore on January 21, 2012. In July 2017, Pulling Teeth reunited to play a set at This Is Hardcore Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Martyr Immortal album.

<i>Songs for Singles</i> 2010 EP by Torche

Songs for Singles is an EP by the American rock band Torche. The album was released on September 21, 2010, through Hydra Head Records. It is the first Torche album, and second release after the split single Chapter Ahead Being Fake, to not feature guitarist Juan Montoya.

<i>This Sheltering Night</i> 2010 studio album by Starkweather

This Sheltering Night is the fourth studio album released by experimental metal band Starkweather. The album was released on May 25, 2010 through Deathwish Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deafheaven</span> American black metal band

Deafheaven is an American post-metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released a demo album together. Following its release, Deafheaven recruited three new members and began to tour. Before the end of 2010, the band signed to Deathwish Inc. and later released their debut album Roads to Judah, in April 2011. They popularized a unique style blending black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock, among other influences, later called "blackgaze" by reviewers.

<i>Darker Handcraft</i> 2011 studio album by Trap Them

Darker Handcraft is the third studio album by the American grindcore band Trap Them. The album was first released in a vinyl LP format on March 1, 2011 and on CD and digital formats two weeks later on March 15, 2011 through Prosthetic Records. It's also the group's first release through Prosthetic after announcing their departure from Deathwish Inc. in 2009. Darker Handcraft was produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge.

<i>Lucky Me</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Killing the Dream

Lucky Me is the third and final studio album by the American hardcore punk band Killing the Dream. The album was released on November 22, 2010, through Deathwish Inc.

<i>White Silence</i> 2011 studio album by Cave In

White Silence is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was released on May 24, 2011 through Hydra Head Records. White Silence was listed as one of Decibel magazine's most anticipated albums of 2011.

<i>Discography</i> (Jesuit album) 2011 compilation album by Jesuit

Discography is a compilation album by American rock band Jesuit. Released on April 12, 2011, through Magic Bullet Records, the album features every song recorded by the hardcore punk group during their tenure in the mid and late 1990s. Jesuit released a demo tape, two self-titled EPs, and a Black Sabbath cover before disbanding.

<i>Our Circle Is Vicious</i> 2009 studio album by Rise and Fall

Our Circle Is Vicious is the third studio album by the Belgian hardcore punk band Rise and Fall. The album was released on October 27, 2009 through Deathwish Inc. The album artwork was designed by Jacob Bannon of the hardcore group Converge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birds in Row</span> French hardcore punk band

Birds in Row is a French hardcore punk band that formed in 2009 in Laval and is composed of three members, "T.", "Q." and "B.". They signed to Deathwish Inc. in 2011 and released their debut album You, Me & the Violence in 2012.

<i>Deafheaven / Bosse-de-Nage</i> 2012 EP (split) by Deafheaven and Bosse-de-Nage

Deafheaven / Bosse-de-Nage is a split EP between the American, San Francisco Bay Area black metal bands Deafheaven and Bosse-de-Nage. The album was released in an LP format through The Flenser on November 20, 2012. Deafheaven contributed a cover of the post-rock band Mogwai's "Punk Rock" and "Cody" from their 1999 album Come On Die Young, while Bosse-de-Nage contributed the original composition, "A Mimesis of Purpose".

<i>Sunbather</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Deafheaven

Sunbather is the second studio album by the American metal band Deafheaven. After the release of their debut record Roads to Judah, the then two piece group consisting of George Clarke and Kerry McCoy began work on Sunbather under the label Deathwish and recorded in several days in January 2013. The recording process brought a third member into the fold with drummer Dan Tracy who would go on to become a permanent fixture of the band. The album was recorded in The Atomic Garden Recording Studio, owned by Jack Shirley who had been a long time producer of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Untitled Deafheaven demo</span> 2010 EP (demo) by Deafheaven

The untitled demo by the American black metal band Deafheaven was self-released by the band on June 1, 2010. The demo would later be remastered/re-released as an EP in 2012 through Sargent House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerry McCoy (musician)</span> American guitarist (born 1988)

Kerry Dylan McCoy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of San Francisco–based blackgaze band Deafheaven.

<i>End Time</i> (Brutal Truth album) 2011 studio album by Brutal Truth

End Time is the sixth and final studio album by grindcore band Brutal Truth. It was released on September 27, 2011, by Relapse Records on CD, LP, and as a deluxe CD box set, which includes "six bonus tracks, a 20-page booklet, six custom art flats, a marijuana-scented disc card, and more".

<i>I Am King</i> 2014 studio album by Code Orange

I Am King is the second studio album by American hardcore punk band Code Orange and first to be released under this moniker after previously being referred to as "Code Orange Kids". The Kurt Ballou-produced album was released on September 2, 2014 through Deathwish Inc. To promote the album, Code Orange released music videos for the tracks "I Am King" and "Dreams in Inertia", in addition to an online stream for "My World".

Harm's Way is an American hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2006. The band started as a side project, but ended up becoming a more serious and full-time band in their later years. Harm's Way has since released four studio albums: Reality Approaches (2009), Isolation (2011) and Rust (2015) and several EPs. On February 9, 2018, the band released their critically acclaimed Metal Blade Records debut, titled Posthuman. They have been recognized for their unique blend of metal, industrial, and hardcore music.

<i>Rust</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Harms Way

Rust is the third studio album by the American hardcore band Harm's Way. Released on March 10, 2015 through Deathwish Inc., Rust—like the preceding EP, Blinded—was produced by Andy Nelson of the powerviolence band Weekend Nachos. The album was sonically influenced by Godflesh, Helmet and Celtic Frost, and Harm's Way promoted its release with a stream for "Law of the Land" and music videos for "Amongst the Rust" and "Left to Disintegrate."

<i>Infinite Granite</i> 2021 studio album by Deafheaven

Infinite Granite is the fifth studio album by American band Deafheaven, released on August 20, 2021, through Sargent House. The album represents a dramatic departure from the black metal influences of the band's previous albums, and a shift toward a shoegaze style with mostly clean vocals from frontman George Clarke.

<i>10 Years Gone</i> 2020 live album by Deafheaven

10 Years Gone is a live album by blackgaze / post-metal band Deafheaven. It was recorded live-in-studio at The Atomic Garden Studio East in Oakland, California, and released on December 4, 2020, through Sargent House.

References

  1. ↑ Ulrey, Jeremy (June 3, 2013). "Album Review: DEAFHEAVEN Sunbather". Metal Injection.
  2. 1 2 3 Scala, Graham (April 1, 2011). "Review: Roads to Judah". RVA Magazine . Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Mehling, Shane (June 2011). "Rock'n'Roll, Inverted". Decibel (80). Philadelphia: Red Flag Media Inc.: 78–80. ISSN   1557-2137.
  4. ↑ Killjoy, Troy (June 15, 2011). "Deafheaven - Road To Judah review". Metal Storm .
  5. 1 2 Deller, Alex (June 2011). "Review: Roads to Judah". Rock Sound (148). London: 90. ISSN   1465-0185.
  6. ↑ Hill, Ian (April 9, 2011). "Deafheaven's 'Violently Depressing' Sound Helps SF Act Build Momentum". KQED . Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Roads to Judah (CD gatefold). Deafheaven. Deathwish Inc. 2011. DW120.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Chichester, Sammi (May 25, 2011). "Deafheaven: Roads to Judah". Mind Equals Blown. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ Macomber, Shawn (July 2011). "Deafheaven: By Demons (and Shoegaze) Be Driven". Decibel (81). Philadelphia: Red Flag Media Inc.: 26. ISSN   1557-2137.
  10. ↑ Heller, Jason (December 7, 2011). "Loud: December 7, 2011". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  11. ↑ Andrew, Bonazelli; Macomber, Shawn (January 2012). "Top 40 Extreme Albums of 2011". Decibel (87). Philadelphia: Red Flag Media Inc.: 52. ISSN   1557-2137.
  12. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (December 8, 2011). "The Top 50 Albums of 2011, #20–11". MSN Music . Microsoft. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  13. ↑ Gotrich, Lars (November 29, 2011). "The Best Metal Albums of 2011". NPR . Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  14. ↑ Stosuy, Brandon (November 28, 2011). "The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2011". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.