Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
Is this worth checking out?
Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
yeah it's alright
probably her worst album so i dunno if i'd rec starting with it if you've never listened to her before but it's still pretty good
>>61519736
If you have never heard her before, go listen to Apokalypsis first. Or Pain is Beauty. Those are some amazing records. Her latest album Abyss while fantastic (to me at least) it is definitely her least inspired album. That being said, songs like Iron Moon, The Abyss, or After the Fall are great.
>>61519897
Agreed
There's more character to her previous albums, especially Apokalypsis
I actually can't remember if I listened to this or not. Apokalypsis is really good and I assume she didn't just jump off the deep end after that.
>>61520252
Apokalypsis seems to me at least more her natural style. Pain is Beauty as well to an extent. The reason Abyss came out different is because if you look, she didnt have as big of a hand in the music as usual. Most songs heavily feature other members of her band, or the dude from Russian Circles. She mentioned it was more collaborative. Hopefully she'll return to those styles, but i'm convinced she can do no real wrong. Even if it wasnt as good, Abyss is pretty damn good.
>>61520292
Apokalypsis and Pain is Beauty are god tier. Abyss is aight. Shes god tho
>>61519736
While I understand what everyone else is saying, I personally disagree. I think this is her finest work. The album flows so well and I usually listen to it a few times per sitting.
I always enjoyed her stuff, but this... oh god yes.
>>61519736
I feel like she tried copying Jesu on this album while adding her own spice and it didn't work
>>61519736
>>61519774
>>61519897
>>61520302
I don't like the way Abyss was mastered. It's brickwalled as fuck.
>>61520374
Eh i dont hear that at all. I just think she got pushed in the heavy direction by John Cogleton.
>>61520442
It works for the album imo, but that doesn't make it good. I'm a huge CW fanboy, not gonna lie, and I definitely enjoyed Abyss, but I definitely will kill myself if she pursues this direction. She's never stayed in the same spot twice, and i hope she doesnt start now.
>>61520602
She's always done her own producing/mixing, and the way the instruments/vocals blend fuzzily instead of standing out on her earlier records would have worked much better on Abyss, her whole style is built on it.
>>61520725
Yes, she always did. Until the new album of course. Before it was always her and Ben Chisolm, which worked so much better in my opinion. I'd also love to see her do more acoustic stuff. But a return to her roots is definitely something i hope for.
>>61520767
Her two acoustic albums are my favorites of hers.
>>61520800
Two acoustic albums? I'm fairly certain she has only done Unknown Rooms. Could you clarify on the other acoustic album?
>>61520814
The Grime And The Glow has mostly acoustic songs.
>>61520829
Ah I see. I never really considered that acoustic, but i definitely know what you mean. Yeah i agree, The Grime and The Glow is a masterpiece. Halfsleeper is definitely my favorite song from her.
>>61519736
desu I prefer this version of the cover.
>>61519774
>>61519897
>>61520252
>>61520292
>>61520302
>>61520335
>>61520800
Apokalypsis is indefensible as a favorite album choice unless you are into:
1) songs about sexual desire AND/OR
2) how qt she looks on the cover
I'm sorry but it's an absolute waifufag choice for a favorite album in her catalog.
Both Pain is Beauty and especially Abyss are gloomier, darker, more varied in instrumentation, larger in scope, and more confident as albums.
The only thing Apokalypsis has on them is it's more intimate, more overtly about sexual desire, and it has a very flattering picture of her on the cover.
>>61520881
I totally agree with you man. Apokalypsis is my all time favorite album (if i had to pick one that is). I'm actually wearing the Apokalypsis album art shirts she printed right now. She is maximum QT and i want to be dominated by her desu. Also, i feel its worth mentioning, its actually an oil painting of her face.
>>61520881
Also, If you want songs from her about sexual desire, Our Work Was Good by her is literally Our Sex Was Good lol. It's about a one night stand.
>>61520855
It's my favorite album of hers, the fact that it was recorded minimally on an 8track with some songs only having vocal overdubs is what makes it special.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QBJlc3Z519k
I like the chord she slips into the bridge here too, it's just a bit of dissonance that adds to the mood of the song.
>>61521004
Its a wonderful album. It, in my opinion, really genuinely shows off how talented she is. Shes honestly a genius.
The tape hiss surrounding The Grime and the Glow really adds to the atmosphere imo. Apokalypsis has its own elements that add to it as well.
>>61521108
Bingo, it has amateur charm.
>>61521174
She has had an impressively solid discography so far. She hasn't released anything i would rate less than a 7.5.
>>61521254
>>61521254
I just wonder when she'll go back to doing acoustic stuff, when I saw her on tour she only used electrics.
>>61519736
Her whole discography is - go chronologically, though, she has a really obvious progression that's fun to listen to. Her best albums are probably Apokalypsis and Unknown Rooms in terms of pure songwriting, but she really got bigger and more ambitious with every album.
>>61520881
I thought Abyss had way more waifu-friendly lyrics. Dragged Out, After the Fall, Crazy Love and Maw, for example.
>>61520442
It had to be compressed hard to get that sound. It still holds a lot of dynamics within those walls, so I wouldn't really call it brick-walled (because it's not pushing everything to hard, just a lot of things). The mastering compliments her mixing well on this one.
I really dig what she has done with this album. Yes it's different. I feel she needed to do something a little different this time. I love everything she has done, but before now - I don't feel she had grown that much. We will probably get another similar album to this next, then see another progression in her sound.
I am all for this. I feel like she is beginning to grow in the same manner as Katatonia have. I dig it.
>>61521354
She did an acoustic tour not too long ago. She stated she originally wanted Abyss to be acoustic, so i'd imagine she will be back to acoustic stuff fairly soon. Plus shes posted photos of her with her acoustic on instagram, so i think shes writing stuff acoustic right now.
>>61521375
I fuckin love listening to all her albums in order. She improved as a songwriter and artist with each album pretty clearly, which is really cool. Apokalypsis will always be my favorite but i love everything shes done.
>>61521383
I did the directions shes going in. All her albums are damn near flawless imo, and i really want to see where she will go next. Abyss is definitely what she needed to do next. It makes total sense she went with what she did, and it totally works imo. I hope we see more electronic as well as acoustic, probably blended with her new heavy sound.
Good to see a positive Chelsea Wolfe thread on here for once.
>>61521383
There is also a lot of stuff going on in Abyss that most people don't notice that much too, like how ebows were used and the pedal steel in the backround. It has a lot of layers.
>>61521472
Definitely. It's such a fun listen with high quality headphones. Lots of hidden noises and layers in it that normal speakers don't show as well. Her previous records have this as well. Abyss has it more prevalent tho
>>61521472
Yeah, there is a heavily compressed wall, with a fuck-tonne of points-of-interest, articulations etc going on in between. Listen to it in a studio or a properly treated room and it's fucking amazing.
>>61521472
>like how ebows were used and the pedal steel in the backround
This. The new guitarist she got for the album/tour is awesome.
>>61521553
The wall creates a really unique effect, in my opinion. Theres this huge wall of sound, and her beautiful vocals just cut straight through it in an incredible way.
>>61521575
I fucking love their new guitar player. I hated their last guy, Kevin Dokter. He always found a way to ruin her songs live, by adding lead parts that never quite fit. The new chick knows exactly what to do.
>>61521575
I think she uses octave/pitch-bending pedals, I do know both she and Chelsea really like Earthquaker Devices stuff.
>>61521654
they use a POG2 pretty often, as well as a Death By Audio Apocalypse fuzz pedal, which was also used in the studio. I have both of these pedals, and they are fucking life. Both shift octaves.
>>61521696
Those would do the trick, I've seen pics of Aurielle's board.
>>61521811
I've seen photos of chelsea's as well. Ill try to find it and post it.
>>61521811
If anyone is wondering why there is tape on the pedals, she mentioned it was an aesthetic thing she liked doing. dunno why.
>>61521862
Oh good, I hope it has that fuzz she got in NYC.
>>61521904
This is Chelsea's board btw. I believe she uses part of it for vocals (the looper likely) and the rest for guitar.
>>61521904
Never understood whats the chromatic tuner for?
>>61521904
I've done stuff like that with tape too, but I used it for marking settings or remembering, I also have red electrical tape on one of my live wire cables, which I used to remember which end I plugged into my guitar, funny.
>>61522030
Tuning her guitar.
>>61522030
>>>61522081
this. It's just an easy way to tune quickly and accurately on stage.
>>61522041
I have tape on my POG2 detailing my presets so i know which is which. Plus i like how it looks desu. Makes me look like i know what im doing.
>>61520881
I just thought Apokalypsis had much better songwriting and was wholly a more unique experience. Pain is Beauty just made her sound like darkwave with some folky callbacks. I really hated the production, too. Whatever reverb they used on her voice is so bad sounding and they just slathered it all over the fucking album.
>>61522118
Honestly these days I just use markers or write song names on a sheet, place next to my pedals and take a pic with my phone.
>>61522197
Eh to each their own. I loved Pain, however Apokalypsis was more unique. She's god so she can do nothing wrong anyway. I agree the reverb was a bit jarring at times on Pain is Beauty, but i still love it.
>>61522197
I don't like the keyboards/synths on any of her records.
I really hate it when an artist who makes great music gets really into the idea of "muh instrumentation". She sounds like so many generic 'doom tinged' artists these days, her sparse use of electronics on Apokalypsis was really what made it for me. Not to sound like a rockist, but it really is just too electric for me these days.
>>61522249
I actually really like her synth on songs like Boyfriend or house of metal. It adds a kind of, for lack of better words, a castle kind of gothic feel to the music.
>>61522284
I can agree to an extent. I do prefer her original sounding Apokalypsis stuff, but I still dig the later stuff. It's unique in its own rights and holds up imo.
>>61522249
Movie Screen and Wasteland were perfect I think. They were tastefully saturated compared to the earthiness of the other songs, her voice was much more like an instrument.
I dunno about most of you but abyss was my favorite album of her's so far, followed by unknown rooms. her other albums, while good, feel to me like they're struggling to mesh the heaviness with the folksiness without giving either aspect the attention it deserved. it should be noted that the angelic process is my favorite band so the sad, heavy, e-bowed guitars + industrial inspired drumming + relatively non-harsh vocals is right up my alley. I am aware that her lyrics took something of a dive on abyss but I have a high tolerance for melodrama so it didn't really bother me all that much.
>>61520879
That's what I instantly thought when I saw that cover
>>61522317
Those are some god tier songs. They are so empty and dreamy but so full at the same time. Though they arent exactly rock-y like the other guys were saying they preferred. The wasteland is like all synth or something lol.
>>61522310
>>61522317
It's great when Ben plays an actual piano, if he used a keyboard or an organ that emulated that then I think it'd fit in better with the other instruments.
>>61522426
Ya he sounds great on The Waves Have Come. Tbh even if she does someting shitty, ill probably still like it. I'm as far into fanboy as it gets.
Id like to also mention some of my absolute favorite stuff she does is just her with an acoustic guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGIT_QhTmys
>>61522524
That's really the best way I'd like to see her, just her voice and an acoustic guitar, much better really than with a full band.
Kinda makes me wish I could go back to those days where she played with a veil.
>>61522804
Yeah she has such a beautiful voice. It sounds amazing singled out with an acoustic guitar. I love this adaption of Heavenly Grass she did a few months back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20jDXnZqYWE
>>61522829
Her voice cuts through me like a knife, when I first got into her music it would make me inexplicably sad.
I don't think anyone else's voice can do that.
>>61520881
>Pain is Beauty
That's my favorite, it's great. Has anyone here listened to Grime and Glow? How does it compare to her other work?
>>61521904
covering the LEDs? They can be painfully bright.
