Cane Hill releases Kill The Sun this week. Just after releasing Too Far Gone last year and being labeled “One of the best metal albums of 2018” by Revolver, this album really throws a curve ball. Kill the Sun is more subdued, giving a chill vibe. It’s a nice, relaxing listen and really shows their talent in a new light.
Of this new album and sound, the band says “We’ve embraced the weirder and mellower side of what we do, as it’s something we think is important to our band. With that in mind, we’ve been in the studio with the incredibly talented Kris Crummett, working on music that embellishes those elements. It’s six songs of dark, twisted, and semi-acoustic beauty. We’re incredibly proud of it and can’t wait for you to hear it. We wanted to embrace some leftover emotions we’ve been dealing with since getting our shit together while exploring our own musical limitations.”
“86-d No Escort” opens the album with an acoustic vibe and clean, mellow vocals. This first track really packs a punch for this new direction. Elijah Witt says “We wanted our first single from this album to be as big of a curve ball as possible. ‘Kill the Sun’ is as far of a departure from our usual ‘heavy metal anthem’ lead off as we could get. Like, who knew Devin [Clark] could play the saxophone?! This track is about my constant self-sabotage; my tendency to find happiness and just as quickly finding a way to ruin it. There’s a very loud voice in my head that feeds me to the wolves I created, effectively killing any light in my life. And deep down, there’s a part of me that relishes in the misery.” With lyrics stating “Don’t want to learn your name, don’t really care about it” I can understand that sabotage he’s speaking of.
“Smoking Man” has a sound more associated with their usual metal sound. In that acoustic sound with a heavy metal technique, the guitar has this awesome sound like it’s coming from the Middle East, mixed with some screeching tones. Their mixture of techniques gives it an otherworldly sound, which makes the lyrics come off a little more trippy. This song, to me, comes off as a struggle between your good and inner demon. Some of the lyrics go back and forth between “I wanted to be a smoking man,” and “I wanted to be a holy man,” holding that in reverence, but then “and the devil comes to greet me like a friend.” “I want to see it, I want to feel it again. Let it consume me” makes me think of giving into those dark parts. I may not understand where this song is coming from, but the more I listen to it, the more I HAVE to listen to it to try to understand the meaning, and to hear its unique sound.
I was really surprised by this album, it wasn’t what I expected at all, but it was a great surprise! This new sound that Cane Hill explored was definitely a success, and I hope we hear more of it from them. Just after releasing this album, they go on tour for the month of February with Sevendust. Check out their Facebook for dates and see if they’ll be coming to you. In the meantime, check out their album, releasing this Friday! https://www.facebook.com/wearecanehill/
KILL THE SUN TRACK LISTING:
1. “86d – No Escort”
2. “Empty”
3. “Save Me”
4. “Kill the Sun”
5. “Acid Rain”
6. “Smoking Man”
