Brisbane garage-blues rockers The Blackwater Fever decided to take a very different approach on their third album, having assumed all production duties, and welcomed a third member on bass and keys, Jed A. Walters.
The Depths is a broodingly dark, atmospheric blues album, but suffers from an overly long running time, and a slight lack in variation.
Album-opening ‘When The Night Comes’ introduces the dark and heavy feeling that is found across the songs, matched by equally dramatic lyrics.
The first appearance of the organ is a perfect match for the trio’s sound, fitting in seamlessly with Shane Hicks’ husky vocals, and Andrew Walter’s pounding drumming.
‘Don’t Fuck With Joe’ is the stand-out song of the record, the moment when every element of The Blackwater Fever comes together in unison: Hicks’ growling vocals, playful, fuzzy guitars and driving drums. The song would almost be playful if not for the brutally ominous lyrics revolving around the mysterious murderer ‘Joe’.
The three-piece create a powerful and layered sound , one that’s more expansive than previous efforts, but a trio of instrumental tunes that are dispersed across the record don’t really add much and serve to extend the already long tracklist.
‘Won’t Cry Over You’ is ultimately defiant and pleasantly upbeat, led by a pulsating bass line and Hicks’ anger filled vocals.
The album has its fair share of filler however, with tracks such as ‘End Of Time’, ‘Over Broken Bones’ and ‘Oh Deceit’ not adding anything all that interesting to the mix.
The 14-track running time seems just too long when there is little variation in the content, but when the three Brisbanites get it right, it’s hard to deny them.
