Cambridge psycho-rock quintet Uncle Acid & the deadbeats share their eerie and fantastical seventh album, Shapes Of Midnight, via the band’s own label, Killer Candy Records.
Leading the way with ‘House By The Grave’, the lyrics describe the hauntings and horrors of a small town over psych-fuzz and galloping guitar solos. Ushering in the merciless tone of the album, this track also showcases the vintage sound that permeates Shapes Of Midnight. Recording the live performances to analogue tape at Abbey Road Studios, the gritty, textured atmosphere seamlessly flows across the album. But as it’s the heralding track, ‘House By The Grave’ sets the sinister pace, lyrically and musically, for what lies ahead.
Album namesake ‘Shapes Of Midnight’ talks of abandoning hope and mourns the descent toward an inescapable fate. With heavy, layered accompaniment, the hounding and torment alluded to on this track is palpable. Painting a tale of hell and surrender, Uncle Acid & the deadbeats tantalizingly weaponize unease like fables of old.
Craggy, fogged guitar casts an uncompromising air over the opening of ‘When Evil Wakes’. Story-wise, jeers and jabs are thrown at the “white knight” saviour trope as the unrelenting melody carries the naïve and foolish to certain death. Chilling and resolute, ‘When Evil Wakes’ feels like a blighted commentary of The Fates.
A sauntering beat and shrill synth are the opening greetings of ‘Sleep No More’. A summoning spell, a call to awaken, this track brings the album into the fold of the occult. Twanging final notes fade over guttural pleas to question the status quo, call out the cruelty, and fight the tyranny playing out before our eyes. Demanding, intense, and timely, ‘Sleep No More’ rounds out a triumphantly disturbing and musically killer album.
Hushed legends of a kingdom destined to suffer or a parable of the modern day, Shapes Of Midnight mystifies in rebellion and terror. Buzzing and churning instrumentals illustrate trials of doom and defiance that can stand alone or be enjoyed as a full dark fantasy epic. Musically shadowy, with poetic tendrils reaching toward reality, Uncle Acid & the deadbeats know how to craft an album that holds you firmly in their sonic clutches.
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