Review
On their third album, Connecticut melancholists Fires in the Distance swap some of their signature synthesizer-driven dramatics for a darker, more understated approach to melodic death-doom. Critics noted that listeners seeking their previous formula might find the keyboards "more quiet, both literally in the mix itself and also in the composition". Yet this restraint shifts the spotlight to elegant piano plucking and classical orchestration, providing "a kind of fathomless dimensionality to the album's sorrow".
The biggest tectonic shift comes from new vocalist Brendan Hayter, whose introduction split opinions. While his "Mikael Stanne-inspired high register delivery" felt at odds with the band's low-end crunch for some, others praised his clean singing and rasps as the final piece of the group's identity. Ultimately, critics welcome a record defined by patient songwriting, celebrating a successful trade of "virtuosic riffwork for matured songcraft".
