Deathwhite

Anno 2022 marks the tenth year of Deathwhite. The ensuing years have borne witness to the continued, if not expedited unravelling of humankind and the world in which it so harshly occupies. The 2020 global pandemic — an event of unimaginable magnitude — has amplified the worst in us. Cruelty, dishonesty, greed, obfuscation, and selfishness are celebrated, worn as a badge of pride as the world burns figuratively and literally. Such was the environment of discontent and isolation that enigmatic dark metal quartet Deathwhite concocted its third full-length studio offering, Grey Everlasting.

Utilizing the same team as 2020’s Grave Image, Grey Everlasting was recorded during May and June 2021 at Cerebral Audio Productions with producer/engineer Shane Mayer. Vocals were again tracked at Erik Rutan’s (Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal) Mana Recording under the guidance of engineer Art Paiz. Legendary Swedish producer and engineer Dan Swanö (Bloodbath, Edge of Sanity, Nightingale) is responsible for the mastering, while French visual artist Jérôme Comentale reprised his role for the fourth consecutive Deathwhite release.

Written just as the global lockdown began in March 2020, Grey Everlasting is an album of diversity and depth. While the band’s clean vocal delivery set to the backdrop of unyielding dark metal remains ever-present, some new wrinkles are added to Deathwhite’s sound. Extreme metal elements — a reference to the band’s musical background — as well as heavy keyboard orchestration have been brought to the fore. The album also treads more atmospheric paths while staying true to Deathwhite’s melodic underpinnings.

“We have grown accustomed to putting our songs under a microscope, but this album demanded an even deeper examination of where we wanted to go,” said the band collectively. “There was little interest in re-writing Grave Image; instead, we had to carve new paths and challenge ourselves musically. We were unafraid to try new things, so, accordingly, the creation process was occasionally arduous. However, it made the result something we are incredibly proud of.”

Lyrically, Grey Everlasting balances Deathwhite’s harsh view of the world with themes of self-preservation. It is a rare glimmer of light from a band that has regularly addressed the ills of humankind on previous albums. However, the onset of the global pandemic made Grey Everlasting an appropriate title.

“The album’s lyrics were assembled throughout the pandemic, events that also included strife on the political and human rights front,” said the band. “As disheartening as these events were, they were hardly a surprise. The human race has had more than enough time to figure out how to coexist properly, but still cannot get it right…and it never will.”

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This band is no longer active on Season of Mist.