41. Zeal & Ardor - "Greif"

It has been often wondered how long Zeal & Ardor could run with their particular concept. For three albums they toiled with their grand idea of combining black metal with Afro-American spirituals. They have so far managed to avoid their unique style becoming gimmicky but there was always a distinct concern they were beginning to leave themselves nowhere musically to go.

“Greif” is the moment where they break out of the cycle and try something really rather different. Grief sees them pointedly trying to re-invent their sound in the mould of avant-garde pop. In the main, they succeed. ‘Fend You Off’ and ‘Clawing Out’ are both incredibly inventive tracks that see the band make fantastic strides into fresh and diverse pastures.

In fact, the album places highly because of some absolutely astonishing moments that show that Zeal & Ardor are by no means a one-trick pony. But (and it still feels weird to say but with an album that gets to 41 out of over 600) it is not a cohesive piece of work.

The previous three albums flowed astonishingly well, each track feeling that it was ceremoniously welded in place as part of a strong commanding narrative. “Greif” lacks that consistency and interconnection. I want to love it, and in numerous places, I do love it but in the end, it tries too hard to distance itself from where it’s been before. Still far above everything else it doesn’t quite pull off the grand exit from their previous incarnation that they would have wanted.