Below the Ever Setting Sun

Grey Waters was a six-year collaboration between two musicians who between them boast quite a roster of black metal bands they've been involved in (Austere, Forest Mysticism, Pestilential Shadows, Woods of Desolation among others). Out of the collaboration there was only one release, "Below the Ever Setting Sun", an EP of five songs. GW's style is consistent across this mini-album and can best be described as a melodic post-metal work with some black metal elements and themes of love and its betrayal, and the difficulties of modern life and relationships in the song lyrics.

The music itself is smartly presented with a clean and sharp sound, dominated by solid meaty guitars with a jagged and rough edge and strong drumming. The lead vocals are usually clean but background vocals may be BM-raspy as a contrast. Songs are very distinct with catchy riffs and highly individual moods; the title track with its slightly dark ambience, confidently robust, striding rhythms and an instrumental section that boasts an epic, almost celestial climax and conclusion is a stand-out in this respect. There is good use of synthesiser to provide background ambience that helps to define the mood of songs and to direct the music. Outro track "Broken" appears to end in a hopeful mood but the lyrics of the song indicate otherwise and this leaves the EP open-ended; listeners would expect then that there should be a follow-up EP or album to resolve the loose ends left behind by "... Setting Sun".

Overall this EP is a solid and dependable effort in songwriting and performance. There are very few surprises and the music does get a bit stodgy as it progresses. The emotion is steady and there are no parts where the lyrics and singing become desperate and anguished. I wish the musicians had included some real angst from their depressive BM work in other bands to give an emotional lift to the music here but then there would have been no reason for Grey Waters to be a separate project.

Grey Waters was a side project containing D., most known for his work with Woods of Desolation, and Tim, known best for his work with Austere. D. handles guitars and bass, while Tim handles vocals, drums, and keyboards. These two are very credible in the subgenre of black metal known as depressive suicidal black metal, or DSBM. Because of this, Grey Waters is often associated with the DSBM genre. But they are only associated due to the two members of the band belonging to DSBM bands. This band is FAR from DSBM, and isn't really a metal band at all. Instead, Grey Waters played a style of rock music with a huge atmosphere and depressive elements. Grey Waters have just entered my top 10 album list of all time, and this is only an EP. This is "Below the Ever Setting Sun", and it is a masterpiece.

This EP consists of only five songs. Each song, no matter how long or how short, contains an immense atmosphere and is something special. The album begins with an intro track, simply titled "Prelude", and this song, only forty seconds long, gives the listener a feel for what's to come. They can expect beautiful melodies that get stuck in the listener's head. They can expect a trip through their deepest thoughts and emotions. And that is exactly what the listener gets with all of the songs on this record. This intro song is a piano melody that is backed by an orchestrated key track. In my opinion, it is honestly too short. But it is what it is, and for what it is, it's perfect. It syncs perfectly with the first actual song on the record, "Say Goodbye". With a title like that, I imagine some people are thinking in their head "Oh fuck! It's a sissy, sappy break up Taylor Swift song!"...well I can assure you, that is the farthest from the truth. This is a sad song, yes. It's possible judging by the overall lyrics and feel of the song, that it is about saying goodbye to a lover. But also, the first verse of the song (and there are not many lyrics to this) make me think of someone on their deathbed, and the speaker saying goodbye to this person:

"I can't pretend nothing is wrong
I've known this all along
Just close your eyes, hold on tight
This will end all tonight"

I interpret this as someone possibly having an illness, which is the problem. And the closing of the eyes represents dying. Lyrics like this flow through the entire album like a never ending stream. After we are treated to these two songs of pure beautiful emotion, we get the third song and the best song on the album: the title track. "Below the Ever Setting Sun" is a five and a half minute song. It is full of beautiful melodic riffs and some amazing keyboard orchestrations acting as background noise to amplify the atmosphere. There are two riffs in this song that stick out. One is the riff in the pre-chorus, which is one of my favorite riffs on the entire album. Next is the one in the actual chorus, and it accompanies some of the best singing to be heard on the album. Damn, Tim's voice is powerful. I know there are people who think he's whiny, but in reality, his voice fits the music perfectly and I don't think anyone else could do this, except maybe Neige of Alcest. Actually, this album is made of pretty much only clean singing. There are two songs out of five where harsh vocals occur: for a short while in "Say Goodbye" and they are used somewhat extensively in the final song of the album, "Broken". While this is primarily a guitar and keyboard driven album, the vocals are important as well. If this album was made up of solely harsh vocals, it would probably still be a good album. But it would not be a perfect album. The singing amplifies the atmosphere and actually makes it sound very unique. As previously stated, Tim could probably be compared to Neige of Alcest, or MAYBE John Haughm of Agalloch. There are not many musicians who primarily make black metal but are not afraid to use clean singing. Tim is one of those musicians. His voice is like riding on the wings of a butterfly through a field of beautiful blooming daisies, with the delicate wind blowing in the listener's face. Sorry for the analogy, but he has a truly gentle, beautiful yet melancholic singing voice.

As mentioned before, the track "Broken" has harsh vocals. This is the only song where Tim's harsh vocals make a huge impact. They were used for a few seconds on "Say Goodbye", but this is the song where he actually uses them for a significant duration. He goes back and forth between harsh vocals and clean singing. Keep in mind, this guy was in Austere and is in Woods of Desolation. His voice in Austere was more along the lines of howling. Here, he sounds a lot like he is angry when he is screaming, rather than depressed. So his voice is very different here. "Broken", like the title track, contains some of the best guitar work on the entire album. The riffs on this song actually flow very well along with the singing. It's as if the guitar is singing as well, which creates a very good atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, it seems that this track along with its predecessor, "The Truth in Your Eyes", build up with beautiful and epic symphonic orchestrations, which are some of the finest moments on the album.

Overall, this is a perfect rock album. I cannot ask for more from members who both belong to Woods of Desolation, as well as Tim's involvement with Austere. This is a must have for fans of those bands, although it is very different and will likely not appeal to everyone. With beautiful guitar melodies, keyboard orchestrations, haunting singing, and simplistic drum work that keeps the flow going, this will surely capture at least some people's attention. Too bad they split up and won't release a full-length. Perfect EP, perfect band!

"Below the Ever Setting Sun" is - unfortunately - the first and last record by the Australian melodic rock/metal band Grey Waters, composed by Tim (drums, keyboards, vocals) and D. (guitars, bass), the two musicians that recorded together "Torn Beyond Reason", the 2011 full-length of D.'s solo project Woods of Desolation. While that album was a pure ambient black metal one, this "Below the Ever Setting Sun" EP is, as I said, a very melodic record, featuring Tim's extremely emotional and ever-changing clean vocals (probably the most beautiful characteristic of the whole EP), an astonishing drumming of him (as always, since he's primarily a drummer) and a nice guitar-work by D., who unfortunately does not indulge himself in guitar solos, but manages to create great melodies along with the omnipresent keyboard backgrounds.

After Prologue, a nice - but definitely too short - instrumental intro, consisting of a lone piano melody, Say Goodbye starts with a moderately fast and heavy electric guitar melody, immediately followed by Tim's clean vocals. The song itself has some similarities with Austere's Just for a Moment..., although here much more space is reserved to the melodical aspect of the guitars, that fill with great riffs all the parts in which the vocals are not present. Say Goodbye, which also features some nice keyboards in the background that follow the guitar patterns, is pretty similar in its structure to the other three songs contained in the EP, with catchy vocal parts interspersed with instrumental melodies, apart from an enjoyable guitars/drums break towards the end, preluding to the final vocal reprise.

As I just said, all the four tracks of "Below the Ever Setting Sun" follow this pattern, and the only song in which Tim abandons for a little while his clean vocals is the last one, Broken, that features a great exchange between harsh and clean vocals (by the way, Tim's harsh vocals in Grey Waters have absolutely nothing to do with his trademark high shrieks of Austere and Woods of Desolation), creating a pretty catchy refrain which brilliantly ties itself to - another time - some great melodic guitar riffs. Broken also features a nice guitar and drum solo, similar to the one in Say Goodbye, even if on this song it ends in a fantastic keyboards-dominated ending.

The two remaining tracks are characterized by similar traits, and of the two the title-track Below the Ever Setting Sun is the most beautiful, with Tim's emotional clean vocals challenging themselves to reach high notes and to sing many different melodies; there is even a nice and quasi-AOR chorus in-between the vocal lines and the usual wonderful instrumental part, this time played by electric guitars, drums and keyboards. The only song that I have not mentioned yet is even the last one, The Truth in Your Eyes, and it's probably the most melancholic of the lot - and the longest one, too. Another well-composed, catchy and generally brilliant track.

The main flaws of this EP, in my opinion, are the lyrics. I usually give much importance to them, but in this case they seem to focus too much on the themes of depression, sadness and "relationship breakups". These themes have already been featured in, for example, many of Austere's tracks, but in the case of Grey Waters - a band which plays a rather "happy" (if you get what I mean), melodic and clean rock/metal - it seems that they do not always suit the music and, more than all, it seems that they tend to repeat themselves too much, as if they were single, long lyrics splitted into the four tracks of the EP. Don't get me wrong: the lyrics are interesting, well-written and even tear-jerking at times, but I would have preferred them to be confined into two or three songs, and not into the whole record. Anyways, the music is so astonishingly good that I can not lower the rating of this masterpiece - this is the main reason why I gave them 97 out of 100.

So, in the end, "Below the Ever Setting Sun" is truly a gem in the world of melodic rock/metal with clean vocals and ambient tunes. Tim is such a great musician, and on this EP his vocals and his drums, along with his keyboards (I also give credit to Lord Tim of the power metal band Lord, who provided additional keyboards on the record), are by far the prominent and most amazing characteristics. D.'s guitar work is also almost perfect for the genre, giving a nice touch of melancholy, atmosphere and diversity to the four tracks. I can't help but suggesting "Below the Ever Setting Sun" to virtually anyone, as long as one accepts the fact that this EP contains no black metal and no scream vocals at all. In my opinion, it's so charmingly beautiful, brilliantly-composed and greatly played that practically anyone will enjoy it at least as much as I did.

Okay, I’m totally honest here. I like Grey Waters' Below the Ever Setting Sun. I have previouly dissed Austere’s take on emotional rock/pop on their last album To Lay Like Old Ashes but on the other hand, I am and have always been a big sucker for Katatonia’s music. On this little EP released early this year, Grey Waters hits the right keys and awakes the little angsty me in me. And I enjoy it.

Consisting of Austere and Woods of Desolation members, the sound here is still (though very remotely) close to black metal - this is most apparent in the guitar department where melancholic riffs are a massive wall of buzzing sound - but other than that we’re dealing with a rock-based EP with simple beats and clean vocals. Think of Tonight’s Decision era Katatonia with modern production, and you have a vague picture of the record, both musically and lyrically.

Despite being full of sorrow, maybe even on excessively sugary levels, Below the Ever Setting Sun is really powerful, epic and massive. While ”Say Goodbye” is a general 4-minute rocky song, ”Broken”, ”The Truth in Your Eyes” and the title track rise to symphonic climaxes near their ends, so we’re not exactly dealing with any unambitious compositions, quite the opposite. Clean male vocals are put to good use and it never sounds too cheesy. But lyrically there is some unwanted cheesiness, something that can easily happen in a style like this - can’t help finding lines like ”what once was is now forever lost” and ”just say goodbye” a bit tacky.

Grey Waters has crafted a rather impressive debut EP, and I’m looking forward to hearing their upcoming full-length. I much prefer this emotional rock under a band name of its own instead of it being stamped on Austere’s name, a band that for me was always rooted in black metal. Below the Ever Setting Sun is a recommendable EP for those into emotional and fairly accessible rock or metal.

3.5 / 5
[ http://www.vehementconjuration.com/ ]

There is a lot to say when reflecting on this album. First being Tim Yatras is easily my favorite musician. I have yet to find a band he has contributed that I do not like. While this release can hardly be considered metal, it seems to have an ability to suck the listener into it. I am not sure if this generally just speaks for myself, or for everyone, maybe its easier for me, seeing as I do not strictly listen to metal. I can easily see a lot of metal fans jumping to conclusions and calling this a whiny emo(tional) release, and not intending on giving it another listen after their first impression. Kind of like how a lot of people jumped on the song "Just For A Moment..." off of Austere's final release because he had "whiny emo vocals", according to most. This was not the case for me, as I found it to be one of the most beautiful things that my ears have had the privilege of listening to.

So what exactly did I like about this release so much? To sum it up easiest, everything would be the best conclusion. It is emotionally heartfelt, and achieves a caliber of fresh air that no other bands have been able to even come close. The songs have a fantastic structure to them, and not a single instrument, in my eyes, is lacking. The guitars have a beautiful, awe-inspiring tone to them. The riffs are certainly memorable, and have this way of blending in with everything else for the perfect mix. As for the drums, Tim has always been one of my favorite drummers, and this is no different. Very smooth, and graceful. Vocally, it is, dare I say, inspirational. And the keys, good lord, the keys are phenomenal. At the end of Below The Ever Setting Sun, to be specific, the choir keys pull you in, with no sign of letting go, until the end. And at the end, you are left yearning for more. Beautifully constructed, and the flow is perfect. I would expect nothing less from Mr. Yatras, seeing as his key work on the final Austere release as also phenomenal.

If you are close minded, and will off the bat judge these guys for having whiny vocals, then fuck off, this release isn't for you. Just remember in the future, you are the one whining like a bitch because you stereotyped. If you are open minded, and looking for something new, fresh, and beautifully heartfelt, then check this out. I promise you wont be disappointed. I will certainly be looking forward to their full-length release.

What the fudge is this… As a side-project to D from Woods of Desolation and Tim from Austere, Nazxul, Pestilential Shadows and dozens of other bands I most certainly didn’t expect this type of music. Sure, the promo sheet said “heavy rock / melancholic metal” for genre, but still… Yikes!

The short intro surely doesn’t prepare you for the immensely melodic approach of Say goodbye. I mean let’s be honest; this is rock, not metal. There’s no doubt about the fact that I’m not the right guy to judge. I’ve never liked rock and I hate metal that’s too damn melodic, and this is both. I’m not really sure how to even review it, simply for the fact that I don’t know what to make of it. I mean; it’s rock.

I suppose Grey Waters is to be considered the same type of project that Joyless is; trying to bring the emotionally negative touch of black metal into an entirely different type of music. Say goodbye does have a truly melancholic touch to it, mainly thanks to the lyrics that are delivered in a good saddened tone. The vocals are clean and nothing but clean, but at least the short and dissonant scream in the track adds a little brutality to the otherwise extremely melodic music. As the title track takes over I’m struck by the similarity to Woods of Ypres’ The green album. That album had some very rock influenced songs, some that almost lacked any and all metal, and that’s the same impression I get from Below the ever setting sun; it’s metal stripped from almost all metal, and what’s left is more or less melancholic rock.

The riffing is very versatile, and it definitely tends to carry some melancholy and sadness to it, just as the vocals perfectly enraptures the very same emotions. Both the title track and The truth in your eyes has moments of keyboard/choir magnificence, which really does complement the plaintive atmosphere of it all. But it’s still Say goodbye and Broken that wins the race; the latter for the utilization of black metal vocals for backups and the former for reasons already mentioned.

Nothing changes the fact that I still don’t like rock. I’m unaffected. Had I just for a second enjoyed this kind of melodic music I’m sure I’d salivate at the first riff, ‘cause it’s extremely well done, nonetheless. The end of Broken is supremely bombastic, and almost makes me wish I could ignore my own restrictive mindset and just be engulfed by the majestic atmosphere. But sadly I can’t.

Originally written for My Last Chapter

With Austere splitting-up in recent months, the door has opened for their side-project Grey Waters to become their main focus of attention and the source of all their musical output. As far as Austere go, I always liked them, but I rarely listened to them. Their music required a certain mood to become accessible to me, though they’re certainly one of the better and more atmospherically enhanced depressive black metal bands in Australia, or indeed the world. You don’t become so revered and renowned for no reason, after all. Grey Waters debut EP, entitled ‘Below The Setting Sun’ is nowhere near as depressive as it likes to make out, despite the title of the album drawing negative connotations out of my mind and the occasional use of similar types of vocals to that on Austere’s work. I actually find the atmosphere on songs like ‘Say Goodbye’ to be quite uplifting, despite the evident emotional outpour of the lyrics. Sometimes, after all, saying goodbye to someone for good can be the best thing to ever happen to you. As someone once said, “It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything.”

There are a number of so-called depressive rock bands around these days and I’m left wondering whether this could become the new “in thing” to do amongst musicians seeing as depressive black metal is a dying sensation in a number of ways. The scene has been brought into the limelight by bands like Lifelover and they’re now seeing bands coming to the forefront of the rock and metal scene who sound ever so much like they do -- Apati, anyone? Bands of this nature will probably become more frequent, but is this a bad thing? Not entirely so, no. My experience of depressive rock bands comes from listening to the likes of Autumnblaze, who’re very mediocre at times, Apati, who’re too much like Lifelover, Katatonia, who’re probably the natural innovators and leaders of the sub-genre and Lifelover themselves, a band who I used to like a lot, but have quickly moved on from. The general sound of this sub-genre, whilst being far more accessible than depressive black metal, can be very difficult to stick with because it’s still very untested.

Critics are only just beginning to recognise that it exists and time will tell whether rock bands like Grey Waters can stick around, in a successful light, for a long time to come. ‘Say Goodbye’, despite its lyrical content, is quite upbeat and jovial because of the bombastic drums and production job used on the EP, which is excellent and very fitting. The material present isn’t in the least bit depressing, including the clean vocals of the band which are very tried and untested. We’re used to rasps and despairing growls from the Austere vocalist and though they do exist on songs like ‘Say Goodbye’, they’re no longer a mainstay within the atmosphere. In actual fact, they’re barely even used on songs like this and thankfully so. Bands like Hypomanie, a shoegazing black metal band, use clean instrumentation alongside harsher vocals and it works for them, but I’m not sure this rock orientated style would work with harsh rasps.

The depressing named ‘Broken’ even dares to deceive because the instrumentation feels very happy-go-lucky to me, not depressing, or as if it revolves around emotions of despair. Lets just say the musicians were more capable of achieving the depressing outcome through their black metal ventures than this depressive rock style. So much so that songs like ‘Broken’ feel the need to incorporate more in the way of distant rasps and steadfast, stern percussion, though this quickly dies down and leaves the shell of the band, which is rock orientated and very open and airy. I must say, I actually think I’ll end up liking Grey Waters more than I did Austere and I quite enjoyed their two albums. This EP is a very good, very expansive piece of music which uses instrumentation akin to bands like Amesoeurs, without the punk vibe, Alcest’s cleaner, acoustic drive side, and subtle synths which give the EP a more uplifting, abstract feel. This feels like a mixture of many bands and isn’t that unique, but it’s well written and has much more variety to it than Austere’s repetitious music.