Spawning from San Francisco, California, is the evocative post-black metal titan, Deliria. Formed in 2017 by guitarist David Scanlon, the band has a dedicated community of supporters who praise them for their distinctive and depressive atmospheres, riffs, melancholic vocals, and grooves. They released their first album, Nausea, in 2017, leaving an imprint that has accumulated consistent listeners from all over the globe. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Adam Rupp, guitarists David Scanlon and Brent Rockwell, bassist Jade Forsythe (Embrium), and drummer Brandon Clevenstine (Symbolik). In 2020, the band re-entered the studio along with lifelong percussionist and drumming powerhouse Andrew Baird (ex-Fallujah), and together they crafted their eclectic and haunting second full-length record, Phantasm.
Since its release on May 3, 2024, Phantasm has taken the world by storm with its eerie landscapes and signature melancholic form. I was floored the first time I heard the opening track, "Smoke & Mirrors," as it burst forth in a manner I did not expect. On the band's website, they share a short but effective description of what one can expect from the album:
"Immerse in the atmospheric depths and explore consciousness through everyday perspectives. This release promises existential soundscapes and morbidly occult arrangements."
"Gemini," "Phantasm," and "Oblivion" are personal favorites that fill the cup with what are the core foundations of Deliria. This record represents true experimentation with restraint. There are notable elements of black gaze, doom and pirate metal, as well as unexpected percussive additions of egg shakers, sleigh bells, cowbells, and other such effects. This is finely held together as one within an intricate orchestra of melodic, groovy, driving, and thoughtful guitar work.
Below are my personal interpretations and perspectives of my favorite tracks:
"Gemini"
Our lives are the grains of sand in their hourglasses, which they grin greedily down upon from thrones built upon the graves of their own flesh and blood. Since the moment they gained free will, corruption has been interwoven with the strings that push and pull their actions and motives. A horrid lust to be above all and become godlike required any remaining shred of humanity to be abandoned. Residents of the world are seen as necessary vermin that they waste no breath squashing and bending to their own wicked desires.
"Phantasm"
In the depths of my core, my soul, head low, weakly phases in and out of existence. A shadow flaps violently around it, as if caught in a swarm of bats desperate to prevent any escape. There is an internal struggle, both spiritual and mental, against a force unseen. From the crevasse before them, black shapes and blurs launch upward and through the shell, tearing and beating it down until it surrenders. Even down on its knees, there is fight left within and a silent resilience that has awoken. Howls and maniacal laughter ring as if they were in a concrete room, but this spirit will never be taken or enfolded in their eternal chains.
"Oblivion"
I blink with chagrin at the paths laid before me. No matter which course I take, I am returned to this desolate place. In an infinite loop of false hope, down roads with no outlet, a cold world urges me to try another and another. But to what end? I yearn for a taste of purpose. Is it as sweet as they say, or does it sting with the bitterness found here? I often dwell on the chance that this is my chosen fate, a place where the stars do not twinkle in the night and days are devoid of color. And in those moments of contemplation, I feel the soothing embrace of existence begin to fade away.
I first heard Phantasm when guitarist Brent Rockwell sent me a more stripped-back version of the album a few years ago. After falling deeply into the world within Nausea, I quickly became a fan of Deliria and eagerly kept tabs on the progress of their next release. As a fan of sophisticated and complex writing, I am once more thoroughly impressed with vocalist Adam Rupp's lyrical style and delivery from one track to the next. Especially the depth in which they go from day-to-day experiences, mental health, and the depressing realities of the world itself.
If you are someone who enjoys the dark, melancholic, and atmospheric side of metal, specifically post-black metal and doom gaze, then I can fully recommend this artist and all of their work.
Artwork: Pierre-Alain D.
Logo: Dan Capp
Engineered and Mixed by Nick Loiacono
Mastered by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden
FFO: Blue Öyster Cult, Katatonia, Fields of the Nephilim
