Negative Bliss – Everything Hurts and I’m Dying Review

Everything Hurts and I’m Dying – what a relatable album title. I turned 42 years old this year, and boy does everything hurt… and I feel like I’m dying a lot of the time. Maybe that’s why I devote so much time to music? Either way, I’m glad I got the opportunity to listen to and review Negative Bliss’s debut before my time comes.

Anyone who follows the site or listens to the podcast regularly knows not only my deep love of harsh vocals, but also how particular I am about clean vocals in my music. So it should shock absolutely EVERYONE that I love this EP as much as I do. After all, it’s about 70% cleans.

So why do I love it? Firstly, because the songwriting is top-tier, especially for a debut EP. There’s layers upon layers of emotionally driven lyrics and vocals, backed by powerful guitars, drums, and a deep sense of melancholy. Secondly, because the driving force behind the band, Steve Wiener, is an incredibly talented musician, and one of the nicest people I’ve met in the online metal community.

Another thing that people who know me understand, is that I’m a sucker for emotionally driven music, and Negative Bliss has created four songs that absolutely radiate feelings.

The first track on the EP is called “The Lighthouse” and is currently available on Spotify at the link below. “The Lighthouse” is somber and gloomy, but also beautiful. It’s the story of a woman who has lost her love to the sea, and she waits eternally by the shore for his return. The track starts by evoking feelings of loneliness and longing, before evolving into frustration and anger, and eventually finding a sorrowful resolution. Harmonized clean vocals mixed with growls allow for an emotional transformation that give the song an incredible and memorable edge. The song is an entire journey through negative emotions, and thusly a perfect representation of what the band is trying to accomplish.

Next up is the track “Sunless Forever”, a track that focuses entirely on losing someone important and what a void it can leave in your heart. Shouted harsh vocals exclaim their rage at being forced to deal with this loss that they never wanted, while softer melodies echo in the background, driving towards calmer moments of respite, where the cleans illustrate their sadness before launching back into rawer feelings of anger. This is another exceptional track that constantly evolves and takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster.

The third track on the album is called “The Good Life” and is an introspective look at life and what our purpose in it means. Almost everyone suffers from internal struggles, trying to decide what they want to do in life, who they want to be, how do they get there, and a billion other little anxieties. This song puts all of that into perspective and personifies the voices behind those thoughts. The vocal structure almost seems like a verbal fight between multiple internal consciousnesses, with the flow of the lyrics alternating between a quieter, almost taunting voice arguing with a different frustrated, louder and angrier voice. Of course the music is aggressive, but moody as well, and does just as much to push the emotions as the vocals do. This is my favorite track on the EP, as the anger, frustration, and sorrow are all palpable. (This song also features the most growls)

Lastly, the EP closes out with the other single “Sun Stain”. Check it out below. “Sun Stain” is a much slower, doomy sounding song, with a variety of vocal stylings interspersed with the same beautiful post-black style melodies we’ve seen in the previous songs. Lyrically, this track seems to focus on acceptance of the world as it is. Which is a pretty despairing thought on its own.

Overall, this is an incredible debut from Negative Bliss, and one that I hope all of our readers will check out! If you like to feel sad or angry, I guarantee that you’ll love it!

Everything Hurts and I’m Dying releases on October 31st, 2024

Pre-Save the album on Spotify: https://t.co/xR2yzwKhEK
Join their listening party on Bandcamp at 8EST on 10/30: https://t.co/qiTnZRuQX5
Purchase the EP on Ampwall: https://ampwall.com/a/negativebliss

Negative Bliss is:
Jonathan Meyer: drums
Steve Wiener: guitar, vocals
Jonathan Hernandez: bass, vocals
Paul Shryock: guitar, vocals