Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s No Title as of 13 February 2024: 28,340 Dead, the title of which refers to the official Palestinian death toll in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, aims to be tumultuous music for our tumultuous times. Like 2002’s Yanqui U.X.O., whose back cover infamously linked several major record labels to the U.S. military industrial complex, the band’s eighth studio album offers up more intense, chaotic, and expansive instrumental rock that feels like it could soundtrack the end of the world.
Godspeed’s penchant for epic ambiance, slow but steady texture-building, and signature interplay between guitars, strings, and drums are all present here. “Raindrops Cast in Lead” begins ominously but gradually transitions into a more laidback midsection, featuring the found sound of a child’s voice speaking in Spanish. The track escalates in its final three minutes, showcasing the band members’ ability to lock in as a unit for lengthy stretches, continuously building off one another in what feels like a contest for who can be the loudest in the room.
Godspeed’s beats, though, are starting to feel predictable. The reverb-heavy haze that opens “Sun Is a Hole Sun Is Vapors” mirrors the atmospheric build that kicks off countless Godspeed tracks. The track’s bursts of explosive sound, followed by an inevitable cool down, before ramping up again are all elements you can see coming from a mile away.
There’s no denying the potency of the group’s instrumental prowess. “Broken Spires at Dead Kapital” features deep double bass notes and a pounding drum that evoke a sense of melancholic reflection. By the time we reach “Pale Spectator Takes Photographs,” the tone shifts dramatically, suggesting that the apocalypse has finally arrived. Rattling cage sounds and heavy snares contribute to a frantic energy in the song’s second half.
But, again, we’ve heard most of this before, specifically on 2021’s excellent G_d’s Pee at State. With No Title as of 13 February 2024: 28,340 Dead, Godspeed’s adherence to formula undercuts the visceral punch that, for decades, has been central to their appeal.
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