A subtle ambiance flows through the songs on Decline of the West, which, combined with the lyrical theme of societal collapse, leave the listener with a feeling of paranoia that is hard to shake. Emil Amos, drummer for Grails and one half of Om, is Holy Sons and this is his fifth and most complete album. Originally released by Italian label Awful Bliss in 2006, the album had limited distribution in the U.S. until Partisan Records reissued the album with four new songs and a reorganized track list.
On the opener “Gnostic Device,” Amos sings about the illusion of reality over the top of barely strummed guitar, banjo interludes, and a light drum machine beat. “I’m so incredibly old my friend,” he sings at what should be the resolution of the song, but the line opens more questions than it resolves. The thesis continues throughout the album, no more so than on “Things You Do While Waiting for the Apocalypse,” a memorial of lost history and the continued search for knowledge—“I can’t forget until my mind dies.” “Satanic Androids” may come off as a more playful song until he sings, “Well then you get into those deep dark cracks/and all the goodness fades to black.”
Scattered with AM radio collages, time-faded piano runs, and pensive lyrics, Decline of the West is a heavy album. Seemingly light in instrumentation, the weight of the masterfully paced songs and brooding lyrics begins to crush as it progresses. Amos has taken some intense themes, condensed them into lyrics, and delivered a substantial album that doesn’t easily leave your head.
– Nate Daly
Holy Sons: www.holysons.com
Partisan Records: www.partisanrecords.com