It has been ten years since the release of Hymn of a Broken Man, the spectacular debut album from Times of Grace. It seems almost like a lifetime ago. We now have a follow up record, Songs of Loss and Separation. Released July 16th, 2021, this album was something we were unsure of ever receiving. Many facets of this world and how we live in it have changed since 2011. Frankly, we were due for a new record. But I’ll get to this new album and my thoughts on it shortly.
This group is composed of Adam Dutkiewicz and Jesse Leach, famously the guitarist and vocalist, respectively, of metalcore powerhouse Killswitch Engage. They came together in the late 2000s to collaborate on a side project. The moniker Times of Grace, and its subsequent music, arose from this partnership. There is a lot of history surrounding the story of this collaboration, and Leach’s eventual return as the singer for Killswitch Engage after a ten-year hiatus. Very notably, the speculation that the first Times of Grace record was Leach’s dry audition for his eventual return to Killswitch. But I will not be discussing that here. Wikipedia can explain all of that sufficiently so I don’t have to. What is important is that after a decade, we have new Times of Grace music. And boy, is it good. Actually, it is rather incredible.
We are the light piercing through the shadows
We’ve got to fight there is no other way
-“Rescue”
It is not good enough to simply sum up this record with a few buzzwords and a fancy rating system. Because this album is a lot like the last record to me, it’s an experience, not a product. I renounce any whiff of pretentiousness from that previous sentence. I stand by my conviction earnestly. I have sat with Hymn of a Broken Man for ten years and in that time, I have found it to be an album of perfection. And a lot to live up to. Broken Man was in a certain light a solid metalcore record, but in the shadows it casted was a subdued, gravelly chamber of blues and folk expression. And it was very importantly a positive metal record. In many ways, this dynamic duo was the antithesis to an ostensibly state metal market. It provided hope and offered – no pun intended – grace. Every tune clicked, both identifying as unique but holding fervid synergy. It is unfair to stack such a fresh set of songs against such a reputation. I’m going to do my best anyway.
To be clear: this is not music for a party, or a club. This is music that transcends genre, perhaps experienced most powerfully while alone. I say that not to be pompous or lofty, but I truly believe that Leach and Dutkiweicz uncorked something special here. Given the roots from the two songwriters, Times of Grace should undoubtedly be shelved in the metal category. At times, the music is fast and loud; the trappings of what makes metal what it is are all there. Wandering through these ten tracks though, you will hear a swath of different genres sewn beautifully together: Metal, blues, country, soul.
Is there forgiveness,
For a soul that wanders?
-“Far From Heavenless”
There’s a veritable calculus at play here. Not only does the genre-bending slither through every song, but the delivery also ignores convention. The bop-meter of 4/4 common time takes a back seat to unique time signatures that are ever present in the track listing. This has become a staple in Dutkiewicz’ writing in the last decade. As the principal song writer for Times of Grace’s music, Dutkiewicz simultaneously challenges the audience’s ears to listen closer while allowing the music to still feel familiar and congenial. He is truly a gifted songwriter. Leach shrewdly fills the spaces with his words, which sound at home no matter what part of the song they land at. His voice carries the pain of a thousand souls and lifts with the power of the sun. We also have a new drummer on the team here, Dan Gluszak, formerly of the bands Picturesque and Envy on the Coast. During the writing and recording of Broken Man, Dutkiewicz played all instruments. Gluszak’s drumming here is a solid fit, while not specifically distinctive, and guided well here to match the tone.
It pains me now to see,
That all your grief could carry you away,
Carry you from this life’s embrace,
I can’t give you what you need,
If you don’t call out for me
-“To Carry the Weight”
The album is short, with only ten songs. I appreciate this. There is not an ounce of fat on here. Every track earns its spot. Dutkiewicz also shows growth, contributing more vocals here than he did on Broken Man. The three singles put out before the release were the right measure of the variety provided. “The Burden of Belief,” the album opener, taps into the bluesy roots and twangy returns. The harmonization between the vocals of Leach and Dutkiewicz is an exquisite oil. The second single, “Medusa,” is carried by heavy riffs clouded in an ethereal blanket. Their third single, “Rescue,” is arguably the most Killswitch-y sounding track on the entire record. It is still very much a Times of Grace song, but is pummeling with double kick drum staccatos at the end of every phrase, the verses filled with Leach’s screaming that grab you by the shirt collar. And the chorus’ hook is undeniably magnetic. The mid-stream opus, “Far From Heavenless,” is the unquestionable linchpin of Songs of Loss and Separation. It encompasses every experimental touchpoint the band explores here.
I found that the first half of the album punched a little harder, with the back five tracks letting go of its hooks a bit, giving the ears a rest and creating a vacuum for deeper reflection. “To Carry the Weight” and “Cold” lay down a satisfying rhythmic spirit. The album closer, “Forever,” is a swan song of melancholic enchantment. The measures in “Forever” are filled with Leach’s screams and the undercutting whisper from Dutkiewicz are a perfect harmonious expression of dual confrontation.
Fall down to your knees
Wash me clean of this deceit
Fall down to your knees
Wash me clean of all my grief
-“The Burden of Belief”
If one seeks to find religious undertones in Leach’s lyrics, they will certainly find them. But they are not too overt to turn away others. There is a calculated universality to what Leach writes about. Most notably, his own separation from his wife among the tenuous years in which this album was written. That is what this record is, a journey of recovery. Much like Broken Man, these songs are about process. If the album title Songs of Loss and Separation is any indicator, it is a natural successor to Hymn of a Broken Man. There is no place (or need) here for metalcore machismo. This music is an auditory equivalent of an overcast day. Hearing this music, I am transported to an open field, with a cool humid-less breeze in the air, shadowed by the smell of rain. The clouds above streaked in bleak graying tones. It’s dark but…hopeful. There have been thousands of songs written about heartbreak, rejection, loss, etc. But I would argue that those many songs don’t provide the heavy lifting required to truly manifest change and adjustment that we are treated to here.
From demon eyes I’m finally free
You won’t kill the love in me
-“Medusa”
I can understand why it took a decade to release new material. Sometimes, we need time to find those important things to say. This music, these lyrics, this attitude, this vulnerability is not an easy place to stay in for too long. To explore such heavy and weighty energy with intelligent music and invasive words is an accomplishment. The road to recovery and salvation – in the many forms they take – is hardly a linear path.
The discipline and motivation to plunge into these dark days to heal and live again is a perpetual life journey; Songs of Loss and Separation is the accompanying text.
Songs of Loss and Separation is out now from Wicked Good Records.
Track listing:
- The Burden of Belief
- Mend You
- Rescue
- Far From Heavenless
- Bleed Me
- Medusa
- Currents
- To Carry the Weight
- Cold
- Forever
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