Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
…and God Said Nothing - Tracklist
1.Raised aloft upon the horns of the celestial bull
2....and God said nothing
3.Our pale Madonna
4.Litany for a dying son
5.Ahoy! The black caskets
6.The stars fade and reel in confusion
Members
Alex
Dan
Dave
Review
…and God Said Nothing is the colossal second chapter from Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal collective The Salt Pale Collective. The record merges elements of Drone, Doom, Sludge, Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Ambient, Hardcore and Alt Metal. The vocals sometimes feel they’re forged in the underbelly of Death Metal with other different types of vocal progressions being played throughout the album. The heavy reliance of Electronica sounds reminds the listener of NEUROSIS and CULT OF LUNA with the band forging new creative ideas of their own as this album fully sells its deeply haunting themes.
The Salt Pale Collective conjure up gloomy Post-Metal and Prog Metal melodies with a dangerous style of Ambient Metal which aims for pure destruction. The death metal vocals are the most dominant but it’s good to see different styles overlapping from time to time mostly within the excellent second title track. There’s an epic cinematic style of Alt Metal developing that bridges the gap between the Blackened Doom grooves and depth defying Psychedelic beats that the band put to great use.
…and God Said Nothing can be undeniably bleak that left me feeling anxious and left me looking over my shoulder during the heaviest and brutal based beat downs the band applied to their music. The level of sonic brutality is one of the albums main strengths which is put to maximum use on tracks such as Raised aloft upon the horns of the celestial bull, Our pale Madonna, Litany For A Dying Son and Ahoy! The Black Caskets. These tracks alone show the full weight, heaviness, melodic and violent intensity that the band ultimately thrive upon. There is a sense of emotional despair behind the lyrics that can be even quite therapeutic within the mellow Post-Rock and Alternative based moments.
Sometimes it sounds like there’s two different bands at play here. One is the brutal Doom/Post-Metal band who take no prisoners and unleash a torrent of brutal grooves that demolishes everything in their wake. The other, is a beautifully engaging Ambient Post-Rock band that cares more about the human spirit than the total chaos and destruction being raged around them. However, when both these worlds fully collide then it’s a dangerous mix of epic proportions with The Salt Pale Collective allowing the listener to experience something real and superbly creative at the same time.
There’s some wonderful orchestral arrangements on this record that gives it an almost Classical Metal feel that reminds me of OPETH in many ways. The later stages of the album taps into influences such as The Ocean and Blood Incantation for a record that offers no easy answers whilst leaving you a shivering wreck with its non-stop style of intense Progressive and Post-Metal changes.
…and God Said Nothing is an experimental powerhouse with The Salt Pale Collective bridging the gap between conventional Doom, \Sludge and Post-Metal themes whilst adding a layer of complex Death Metal energy that you don’t really hear such as this. This isn’t a record for the faint hearted and you may perhaps need to be a fan of Experimental Metal and Extreme Music to get the full enjoyment but if you’re willing to stay the course then you’ll be treated to a thrilling and possibly future classic album in the making.
I need to take a long lie down after listening to this masterful album. I’m exhausted just from listening to the album as this feels like an intense endurance course. And I mean that in the best way possible!!!
Words by Steve Howe
...and God Said Nothing is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.
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