Goes Cube has spent over a decade defying any clear-cut genre descriptions. They’ve jumped through metal, hardcore, shoegaze, sludge, and about a half-dozen other genres on their way to two excellent LPs. However, their career comes to the finish line with Shadows Swallowed the Flood, their third and final album (out 10/21 via Old Flame Records).
After a few years dormant, during which the trio played in bands like White Widows Pact and Publicist UK, the group has put out their most complete vision to date. They appear undeterred by their impending end, avoiding a celebratory lap with hands raised high or a lengthy bout of mourning. With longtime producer Dean Baltulonis involved, their atmospheric side is highlighted without dismissing their dissonant roots.
Videos by VICE
Past albums emphasized short, punchy tunes that provided a jarring sonic kick to the chest. While those kicks still come flying on this album, they are contained within fleshed-out compositions. The biggest leap for Goes Cube is the added emphasis on melodic vocals, more so than any of their other releases. While militaristic screams have a steady presence throughout, it’s the confident, layered vocal harmonies that provide the best evidence of their immense progression since 2011’s In Tides and Drifts.
That’s what makes Shadows Swallowed the Flood as Goes Cube’s last album such a forlorn event. It’s like they are on the edge of something enormous that’s just within reach. What could they have accomplished if they stuck around just a few more years? We’ll probably never get an answer to that, but for now, the members of Goes Cube head into the future leaving behind a gratifying opus. Listen to it in full below, and preorder Greenway Records’ vinyl version here.
Dan Marsicano is fanning the flames on Twitter.
