New Bermuda
by Deafheaven
  • Record Label: Anti
  • Release Date: Oct 2, 2015
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Oct 5, 2015
    95
    Taking their sound into a much darker (and riffier) realm comes as a bit of a surprise, but the band pulls it off with such excellence and grace that the shift isn't even jarring.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Oct 2, 2015
    91
    New Bermuda doesn’t break down the walls of metal, instead it expands its confines, allowing Deafheaven to include subgenres that rarely mix while injecting more outside references. Ultimately, New Bermuda proves just how progressive of a genre metal can be, purists be damned.
  3. Consequence
    Sep 30, 2015
    91
    Its audacity and stylistic shifts may have resulted in an album that’s not quite as much like coming home as Sunbather, but it shows a genuine and fascinating maturation in a band that deserves to remain in the spotlight for all the right reasons.
  5. Magnet
    Oct 14, 2015
    90
    A staggering masterpiece. [No. 125, p.55]
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  6. Pitchfork
    Oct 1, 2015
    90
    New Bermuda, if anything, is more overwhelming than Sunbather.
  7. Spin
    Sep 30, 2015
    90
    New Bermuda both expands their range and sees them coming further into their own.... Bermuda is ace metal.
  8. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 30, 2015
    85
    The five-piece side-stepped the easy option of giving the listener Sunbather II, refused to pander to the metal community by compromising their experimental tendencies and instead made a record that's not necessarily better than Sunbather but one that could end up being more important or influential.
  9. Kerrang!
    Oct 7, 2015
    80
    Boasting darker, braver, more thrillingly complex compositions. [10 Oct 2015, p.52]
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  10. Clash Music
    Oct 7, 2015
    80
    Deafheaven have managed to craft a lengthy, complex offering that could be considered the antithesis of their lauded second album, but also proves to their doubters that they're here to stay.
  11. Boston Globe
    Oct 2, 2015
    80
    What’s surprising isn’t that the band takes such leaps, but that it nails its landings so surely.
  12. The Guardian
    Oct 1, 2015
    80
    While claims they’ve got a “pop-like accessibility” feel overstated, those who like the loud bits of Mogwai and the more melodic moments of Dillinger Escape Plan will have found the metal band for them.
  13. Drowned In Sound
    Oct 1, 2015
    80
    Far from being disappointing, then, New Bermuda is comfortably good enough to blow even Deafheaven’s sceptics away.
  14. AllMusic
    Sep 30, 2015
    80
    New Bermuda finds Deafheaven continuing to effortlessly traverse genre borders and create transcendent music.
  15. Exclaim
    Sep 30, 2015
    80
    On New Bermuda, Deafheaven's myriad ideas are expertly, logically organized across five tracks. It's more proof that it's hard to hyperbolize when it comes to praising Deafheaven, a band that's nearly peerless in its ability to craft fascinating, forward-thinking aggressive music.
  16. Uncut
    Sep 30, 2015
    70
    New Bermuda offers a tumultuous post metal that on passages of "Baby Blue" and "Brought To The Water," remind one more of the ethereal wandering of shoegaze. [Nov 2015, p.73]
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  17. DIY Magazine
    Oct 2, 2015
    60
    Despite the foreboding darkness within their offerings, there are still glimpses of light that shimmer within.
  18. Rolling Stone
    Oct 2, 2015
    60
    New Bermuda's few epiphanies are surrounded by waters too rough for most listeners.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Album of 2015
68
#68 Most Discussed Album of 2015
54
#54 Most Shared Album of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 134 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 123 out of 134
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 134
  3. Negative: 7 out of 134
  1. wishpishh
    Oct 2, 2015
    10
    If you dissect each song on this album, and listen to each part separately, you could argue that many of them are rather standard in theirIf you dissect each song on this album, and listen to each part separately, you could argue that many of them are rather standard in their genre. The post rock parts are not absolutely unique or groundbreaking. Neither are the black metal parts, nor the more thrash metal-influenced parts. Neither the poppier parts. At some times during the first listen I found myself thinking that some parts are rather tame, run-of-the-mill or even at times rather cheesy.

    But then they always manage to segue into something else that completely blows me away and I realize that the effect is masterfully created. What I'm saying is, all the parts or influences are not extraordinary on their own, but together they become something much, much greater and powerful. Sure, they could have made some parts more subtle, or advanced, or groundbreaking and unique. But then you realize they're part of a larger picture that is just flawless, and changing something wouldn't make it any better. Every second is exactly what is needed to fill the larger picture.

    After a few listens front to back, I realize that there's really nothing that needs changing. They pull all their influences together perfectly. The composition is flawless. This is a perfect album for what it is.    … Full Review »
  2. RiotFish
    Oct 3, 2015
    9
    Deafheaven's strategy on New Bermuda is simple: take the pretty parts and the ugly parts from Sunbather, and make the pretty parts prettierDeafheaven's strategy on New Bermuda is simple: take the pretty parts and the ugly parts from Sunbather, and make the pretty parts prettier and the ugly parts uglier. The result is a punishing, unpredictable 48 minute behemoth that sounds like Oasis, Burzum, Wilco and My Bloody Valentine all had a baby. Delicate, folksy guitar riffs follow sinister howls and bombastic blasts of black metal. Definitely a contender for album of the year.… Full Review »
  3. SixStringNinja
    Oct 2, 2015
    9
    Definitely a hard change from "Sunbather," but once you get used to the rougher guitars and darker chord progressions, it's just as good. It'sDefinitely a hard change from "Sunbather," but once you get used to the rougher guitars and darker chord progressions, it's just as good. It's almost as if they heard all the black metal elitists' complaints about "Sunbather" and went through a checklist while recording "New Bermuda." Easily one of my favorite metal albums this year.… Full Review »
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