Lathe of Heaven “Bound by Naked Skies”

    With lyrical themes inspired by classic and contemporary science-fiction authors as well as a sound that blends together hardcore punk, post-punk and new wave, NYC based band Lathe of Heaven offers listeners an unbelievably profound debut album. Titled, “Bound by Naked Skies,” the album captures the pure essence of 80’s inspired post-punk/new wave, while also having a uniquely refreshing sound from start to finish. 

    I came across this album through the Youtube channel, No Deal, which is a great channel to subscribe to if you are a fan of hardcore punk, post-punk and crust punk. Lathe of Heaven reminds me so much of what you would have heard coming from the UK and Europe during that late seventies and early eighties period where you had punk bands starting to experiment more with electronics, dark atmospheres and haunting synth arrangements. You hear a bit of Killing Joke and Siouxsie and the Banshees in their sound as well as new wave acts such as OMD and early Echo and the Bunnymen. They really do such a great job recording a refreshing sounding album by coming up with some very catchy verse and chorus sections wrapped up in these mesmerizing compositions. Also, the band’s vocalist has a captivating delivery that grabs your attention right away and puts your mind at easy while you listening to words soar over the enchanting post-punk instrumental arrangements.  

    The album features eleven tracks, and I can guarantee that there are no filler songs on the entire release. Everything seems to be in perfect synchronicity when the band launches into the first song on the album, "At Moment's Edge." The guitar notes ring out with such an awe-inspiring sound and the guitar effects used by the guitarist create an extremely comforting atmosphere. On the second song, “Ekpyrosis,” the band comes up with a more punchy sounding piece of post-punk music that reminded me of classic Killing Joke. The lyrics vividly standout out as you slowly become engrossed in the catchy sounding musical landscape. Also, the bass tone on this track as well as most tracks on this album is truly immaculate sounding and adds so much to the band's overall sound. 

    Other tracks like, “Genome” and “Inertia,” continue to emphasize this classic post-punk/new wave sound that explores themes of science fiction and deep thought provoking concepts. Musically the band does not disappoint and the riffs on this album simply take you away from all the chaos and despair of modern society to look beyond what our current reality has to offer. “Moon-Driven Sea,” takes a turn down a more solemn sounding pathway, one which caught my attention instantly and made me forget about everything around me as I listened intently to the singer’s enchanting vocal delivery which follows along to the spectral guitar chords. 

    Another track that I want to point out is, "Ilusi ó n de Luces (Cold's Embrace),” because on this song there is another singer who starts the song off and then switches with the band’s primary singer. The contrasting voices makes the overall composition extremely fascinating, while also perfectly matching song’s quick and frantic tempo. I think what I took away most from this album was how strong the songwriting was on the entire release. There are few albums I have come across whether they be metal, rock, or punk releases that have such a captivating quality. 

    Lathe of Heaven’s “Bound by Naked Skies” has the potential to be a highly sought after release, especially amongst fans who enjoy 80’s post-punk and new wave. When I saw that Sacred Bones was the label that would be putting this album out, I knew Lathe of Heaven was in good hands since Sacred Bones is a label that is known for promoting very talented, highly driven and passionately creative acts. I do hope more people check this album out, because even if you are not a massive fan of this type of music, the songwriting and I think the overall sound of this album can be extremely appealing to a wide range of people. No matter what year or decade it happens to be, I strongly believe Lathe of Heaven is a band that will be able to transcend musical trends and maintain to passionate cult like following thanks to what they accomplished on this album. 

Check out the video for "At Moment's Edge" below:

Lathe of Heaven Bandcamp:

https://latheofheaven.bandcamp.com/album/bound-by-naked-skies