The Body & Braveyoung

Give anything to the Body and they'll make it bleak. This collaboration between the Providence avant-doom duo and North Carolina atmospheric outfit Braveyoung is an exercise in dark minimalism, with endless waves of super-saturated, sustaining guitars repeatedly crashing upon what might otherwise be a placid soundscape. That said, there's a more textured and nuanced aspect to this album, thanks to Braveyoung's addition of reverb-drenched guitars and chimes on tracks like "Song 2." However, the inclusion of what might be considered beauty, when paired with the Body's unforgiving punishment, instead creates an atmosphere not unlike a particularly disturbing horror film, leaving a feeling of violation and innocence lost. The album's standout track is closer, and Exuma cover, "The Vision." The previous norms are uprooted in favour of an enthralling chorus by the Assembly of Light Choir that welcomes the apocalypse with open arms and glorious melody that, ironically, only a pairing of some of the world's most crushing extreme musicians could usher forth.