There is a deceptive lure into the depths of Copse’s new EP Old Belief | New Despair (Church Road Records). At first, it felt like they were going in a direction that was headed back into the blackgaze bandwagon which exploded back in 2013 following the success of Deafheaven’s Sunbather. It was a scene that never gathered traction expected from the buzz of that groundbreaking album.

A closer listen reveals that these guys are bringing more of themselves to the songwriting table. After the first track which is a post-Rock instrumental that feels more like an intro than a song unto itself they throw themselves into the “Old Belief” side of the equation.

Sure, they are in the same sonic zip code of Deafheaven’s heavier moments, yet Copse approaches it from a different, less blackened angle. Their guitar sound balances out a thicker, more brutal chugging to contrast the sweeping tremolo-picked passages. This approach creates something that is more dynamic than most of the black metal bands that have leaned into this atmospheric take on the genre.

The most interesting thing about their sound can be found in the moments of grooving tension, that strays away from trying to feed your ears with black beats alone. They also display more technical prowess than what is expected from this sub-genre as they shift time signatures under the wall of sound your ears are hit with,

Things change dramatically once we get to “New Despair”. This song is an almost fifteen minute sprawl. The band switches over to sung vocals as the guitars relax into the lower tuned riffs that flow like a lazy river. If you were not already convinced these guys are not trying to be a Deafheaven tribute band, then this song should hold the evidence to prove otherwise. When the screamed vocals return midway into this song they carry less of the scathing Black Metal sneer and have a more emotional screamo feel to their catharsis.

The song slowly begins to gain momentum and speeds back up into a mood closer to the intensity of the previous song. They show restraint by holding off onto the blast beats until ten and a half minutes into the song. The drummer breaks things up into more of a nuanced groove than what fans of black metal might expect from drumming.

This impressive EP is, hopefully, an indication of things to come from them when Copse gets around to releasing a full-length. They prove to be much less derivative than what the opening strains of this album might lead you to believe. The production on these songs is dense and dark enough to have an impact, yet mixed in a manner that allows the layers of instrumentation room to breathe.

It’s clear this band has a sense of where they want to go, and are capable enough musicians to get there. If you are a fan of extreme metal with black metal influence yet not fully defined by it then this is an album worth checking out.
Buy the EP here:

https://copsebm.bandcamp.com/album/old-belief-new-despair

8 / 10

WIL CIFER