Brave the Waters to Release Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days this Spring
Even if you’re not entirely familiar with the bands themselves, you can probably tell from the monikers Grey Skies Fallen and Buckshot Facelift that neither act specializes in ambient psychedelia. Nonetheless, Tom Anderer and Rick Habeeb, who are actually bandmates in both groups, have splintered off — practically and stylistically — to form the new project Brave the Waters, which will make its debut on May 12 with the fittingly titled Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days. The plan is for annual releases and sporadic live appearances, presumably between work on the other bands, but you never really know how these things will work out when a band just gets going.
All the same, the first audio from the two-piece, which arrives in the form of the three-minute “Journey through Highwood Forest” is enticing and immersive, guitars spreading out and layering smooth and serene without the underlying tension one sometimes can hear when those who play extreme music — grind, death metal, etc. — branch into more atmospheric forms. I dig it. If it works out that way, I’d take a record of this every year, easy.
To the PR wire:
BRAVE THE WATERS: Duo From Grey Skies Fallen And Buckshot Facelift Creates Instrumental Act; Track From Debut EP Streaming
From the intertwined throng of musicians who hail from New York acts, Grey Skies Fallen, Buckshot Facelift and others, a brand new musical entity is born with BRAVE THE WATERS, as the duo completes their debut EP for independent release this Spring.
Producing a mesmerizing, ethereal brew of beautiful, instrumental movements, far removed from the tumultuous sounds of the extreme output of their other musical creations, BRAVE THE WATERS came together when Grey Skies Fallen and Buckshot Facelift bandmates Tom Anderer (bass guitar, acoustic guitar) and Rick Habeeb (guitar) decided to write and record some instrumentals in a stripped-down fashion. Improvisation and spontaneity were important aspects going in, and while bits and pieces of music were composed prior to entering Keith Moore’s since burned-down Audio Playground Studio, the vast majority of what appears on the band’s six-song debut EP, Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days, was written and recorded on the spot.
Containing six tracks of ambient guitar and bass that you will find very different from the duo’s main bands, BRAVE THE WATERS’ Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days sees pounding drums, intense death metal vocals, and immense guitar distortion completely abandoned, and here replaced with clean guitars, melodic bass lines, and a healthy dose of Strymon’s amazing Big Sky reverberator. Just in time for the Winter’s thaw, these winding passages inspire visions of lush nature and rebirth. Reminiscent of several styles at once, yet emerging as its own being, Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days is immediately comforting, almost familiar release.
BRAVE THE WATERS will release Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days independently through Bandcamp on May 12th, and in advance, the track listing, cover art by Travis Smith (Death, Opeth, King Diamond) and the EP’s fourth song, “Journey Through Highwood Forest,” have been revealed.
Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days Track Listing:
1. The New King
2. Interesting Times
3. Voice of the Ancient Oak
4. Journey Through Highwood Forest
5. Setting Up Camp
6. At the Old Stone Bridge
Anderer and Habeeb plan on continuing the BRAVE THE WATERS project with yearly releases and physical versions following the initial digital releases of their works. More info on Chapter 1 – Dawn of Days will follow in the coming days.
Live performances from BRAVE THE WATERS are likely in the future as well, but in the meantime, the duo continues to scorch the masses with Buckshot Facelift and Grey Skies Fallen, with both bands currently booking new shows and creating new material.
http://bravethewaters.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/bravethewaters
