“You no longer know my face.”
After eight years of deafening radio silence, Bastions are set to return with their second full length in Majestic Desolation. As to why the band went on hiatus all those years back, you can choose to speculate. All that matters is the long-awaited return they have made, and what they’ve been cooking up this entire time. With such a lengthy period between debut LP Hospital Corners and now Majestic Desolation, it’s hard to discern the direction they’d want to take things. Thankfully, established listeners can find solace, as their new release holds the same nostalgic roots as their debut, adding a dash more to make it a return to form.
Majestic Desolation is a result of the seemingly endless lockdown over the pandemic. With that, you can sense the maturity of the record when contrasted to Hospital Corners. Both LPs are shrouded in that ever-so familiar sense of dread and sorrow that listeners of any sub-genre of hardcore are accustomed to. However, Majestic Desolation contains more depth in its musicality that gives it the slight edge, showing that the alternative hardcore group has become seasoned over time. Whether it be from the elements of shoegaze its sound is derived from, or how it layers in its nuances that much more delicately, it feels much more refined, modern, and fresh.
This refreshing shift in sound is evident in lead singles “A Broken Crown” and “Acres of Love”. Both are contrasted in various tempos. However, they utilize the darkened and harrowing dynamics of shoegaze. Loaded with high distortion and simplistic riffage, it holds a familiar yet heavy weight to what is being seen in the scene. Majestic Desolation’s mature take is highly evident in “Slithering” and “Darker Paths”. Adorning itself in down-tempo, entrancing melody, it encapsulates itself in what can simply be described as majestic. It fashions the beefy instrumentality up to the echelon where it still allows its pain-stricken vocals to shine but is still nothing to be slept on. On the other side of the spectrum, you have octane-driven tracks in “Heavy Hearts” and “Coalfields” which are nothing short of crushing. Sandwiching themselves between the two previous tracks, the dynamic feels oddly sharp to digest; it’s a sickly, strange back-and-forth, creating a muddied thematic as a whole. In isolation, I would love these tracks a lot more than with its given context.
Falling into the depths encroaching emo-hardcore, this is an album I would hold in my back pocket for my darker days. Majestic Desolation does have its awkward, intangible flaws that makes it difficult to submerge yourself into with a full playthrough, but it holds the sonic weight that allows it to resonate with even the deepest of demons. Reminiscent of the ongoing pandemic, the record definitely shows the struggles felt throughout. Dark themes, dark instrumentals, Bastions are back.
7.5/10
Majestic Desolation releases via Church Road Records on July 29th, and you can pre-order here.