I can remember Deafheaven in Decibel Magazine way back when their debut Roads To Judah came out in 2011. It was solid, but at the time I had other musical preoccupations so dropped it. Then Sunbather came out and everyone lost their goddamn minds. And with good reason: that cover, the wall of sound that would sprout a literal army of imitators, none of whom could touch the band and only weaken the subgenre to the point where we’re all kind of sick of it. Since then the band have been both expanding and contracting their sound, drilling into their blueprint, blowing it up, and then reassembling it again, all to varying results. But those results were necessary, because after too many listens to count Lonely People With Power might be the band’s best, most honest album in their career. It’s certainly one of the best metal album in 2025, so time to do that thing when I figure out why I think that way.