Guiltless - Teeth To Sky

Guiltless is a sludge/doom/post metal band from Seattle, Washington who formed in 2022.  Their latest release, “Teeth To Sky” is their full-length debut; they have also released an EP.

The band is new to the scene but the members are not—the band consists of vocalist/guitarist/noise Josh Graham and guitarist/noise Dan Hawkins, each of them from A Storm of Light.  Rounding out the rhythm section is bassist Sacha Dunable (Intronaut, Bereft) and drummer Billy Graves (Generation of Vipers). 

“Teeth To Sky,” is an album that, according to their press release, “looks both inwards and out to convey the encompassing mixture of hope, despair and determination which comes from observing life as we know it today.” 

For me, the music contained within 8 songs, 41 minute runtime definitely captures a lot of raw emotions and frustrations.  It’s an interesting take because the album is basically a beatdown in musical form yet there is a sense of hope to go along with the darker side.  It’s not so much the thought process of consdering things might get better but rather learning to cope with everything in life, both good and bad.  Perhaps we are to learn to live our lives and accept things for what they are, therefore, remaining guiltless to a degree?  

The combination of various genres in “Teeth To Sky,” gives the album an unique atmosphere.  Sometimes, such as the opening moments of “Into Dust Becoming,” the music is atmospheric and a little hazy, opening up as the seconds tick by and the fog gives way to pummeling grooves.  The drumming itself is very interesting, and something I would call atmo in of itself which is hard to pull off on the instrument.  The drums help drive the energy from the opening song, adding a firm foundation even as its most abstract. 

Is abstract heaviness a thing?   Because Guiltless nails it; at times, the album is heavy and abrasive without sounding like it, if that makes sense.  “In Starless Reign,” is certainly made of intense riffs and powerful rhythms but it isn’t overly brutal.  However, the synergy between the instruments and the way they interact together while building up the song gives it a density that makes the song as extreme as anything I could put under that banner. 

The title track effectively uses a bleak, dissonant atmosphere in the opening moments to establish a hefty soundscape early on.  From here, the song flows very naturally as the drums and bass lead a passage of whispered vocals and liminal spaces.  It’s encompassing and even at its most sparse, it is sprawling. 

The final song, “Illumine,” is a dirge of despotic, harrowing atmosphere and the best song on the album for me.  It’s slow and stretches out the riffs for as long as possible for dropping the hammer while the drums keep the energy high.  The build up is steady as it leads towards a sparse, atmospheric passage that is clean tones with a palpable tone to them.  Heavy without being heavy!  I love this part and how smoothly it returns to an explosive finale. 

Guiltless’ “Teeth To Sky” is an emotionally gripping album with a ton of character mixed with expansive heaviness and grey tones.  Highly recommended. 

Rating:  Excellent