Timeworn come back with their third album since 2014, and their energy hasn’t dropped yet! They’re a band that combine the sludge and post-metal genres to bring an entirely new sound to the table. Leave the Soul for Now is a wonderful collection that shows how the band is growing and settling into its sound. This album keeps a sonic link to what came before, while also expanding into new and evocative sounds.
Timeworn have a reputation for trying new things out in their music, and this is seen throughout their latest album. Songs like Paradise Crown and Sky Castles are, tonally speaking, not out of the ordinary for music from the metal and post-metal genres. Songs like Oblivion Waters and Hellseeker are possibly the most obvious examples of Timeworn pushing the boundaries of their music, although in different ways.
Hellseeker is a slow and introspective song, one which shows the breadth of the metal genre. It also has a more stripped down melody, which allows the vocals to shine through. It also allows for vocals which stray away from the more expected ‘screamer’ vocals that come from a lot of metal. These vocals don’t just appear in Hellseeker – they appear throughout the album at various points. They stand out more here however, as a result of the type of song that it is.
Oblivion Waters is constantly overlaying new sounds on the original melody, with periodic breaks so that listeners can hear the original line is still there. Each single element of the built-up melody is unique in itself, and yet everything fits together to create the ultimate melody that the song becomes.
The album stays true to its themes of the soul and of an afterlife. This is most obvious when it comes to the names of the various songs, as can be seen throughout this review. It is also made clear throughout the music itself. More than the genre, and more than the overall style of the music, what really pulls all the songs together is an ethereal sound blending effect. This is more prominent in some songs than in others, but it is always there.
This album is fantastic. It shows the best of the old with the best of the new, and shows a band which is willing and able to find the new while retaining the old.