Over the last few years of attending, playing, and even organizing vaguely “Christian” music festivals, I have come to a deep appreciation of Facedown Records—home of such excellent bands as My Epic, Everything In Slow Motion, Weathered, American Arson, Comrades, and many more excellent bands that often fly under the radar.
Another one of these bands is Dens, whose set I heard through the floor while in a Chroma Artist Collective meet up during last year’s Flood City Fest and cursed the timing of the thing.
But earlier this year, they released Taming Tongues, an absolute powerhouse of post hardcore that is at once anthemic and hard hitting.
Taming Tongues is filled with all of the touchstones of the best of the genre. The riffs are heavy, the melodies are well crafted, and every bit of it is drenched in heart-pounding earnestness. The drums and bass blast with a driving urgency under the effects-laden electric guitars that shift effortlessly between ambient landscapes and frantic riffs.. Sonically, it’s often reminiscent of Circa Survive’s atmospheric yet heavy instrumental work, but frontman Shaun Hypes sounds nothing like Anthony Green.
They also get quite a bit heavier, although more on the As Cities Burn side than the Norma Jean side. Even their loudest moments are rife with melody, like the soaring guitar through the screamy “To” or “Foolish,” which features the screaming vocals of Leroy Hamp of fellow Facedown act War of Ages.
What’s really stunning though is how well they balance the two poles of their sound. “To” is followed by the atmospheric and subdued “Keep,” which pulls hard on the reigns, riding a deliberate drum groove and reverb-soaked guitars. The pensive “Are” (which features a wonderful cameo from Comrades’ Laura McElroy) runs right into the grooving “Wise” without pausing. Closer “Quiet” almost feels like a tug of war between the guitars and rhythm section, the higher strings trying to pull the song into a Moving Mountains-esque ambience while the drums and bass crash against the crowd singalong.
The part that truly impresses me about this album—as a musician myself—is how intentionally it’s crafted. The one-word song titles serve to spell out the phrase “Even foolish men are wise when they learn to keep quiet.” It might feel a little gimmicky, except that not a single track feels mistitled when heard out of context, inspiring a sort of chicken-and-egg quandary regarding the writing of the album. Were the songs written first and retitled to fit the title scheme? Did the phrase come first, and songs were written to fit? The album flows too well to give away any sort of clumsiness that either scenario would create in less skillful hands.
In all, Taming Tongues executes every part of its vision with deftness and skill. The instrumentation, lyrics, and overall theme are executed with precision and pathos. If this album were to get the attention it deserves, there’s no doubt that a decade down the line, it would be celebrated the same ways as albums like Come Now Sleep or Circa Survive’s Juturna are celebrated today.
(It also features the artwork of Flesh and Bone Design’s Brian Morgante, who did the artwork for SPACESHIPS’ new album Pillars, so that’s neat).