REVIEW: BIG|BRAVE - In Grief Or In Hope
- Noise Leonard
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
A common sentiment in some music circles over the past several years is a yearning for the days where artists could simply release an album every year. Of course, the current streaming-based music landscape makes this extremely difficult for many. But it hasn’t stopped the Canadian avant-garde and drone metal group, BIG|BRAVE, from dropping an album every year since 2023. Granted, last year’s OST was entirely drone and electroacoustic, inspired in no small part by guitarist Mathieu Ball’s solo endeavours in the genre. It would, however, be unwise to consider OST a mere interlude in the band’s now ten-album discography. The comparatively softer textures and attention to detail have been carried over to the upcoming In Grief Or In Hope, just with the extra emphasis on distortion and noise.
We hear this on opener what may be the kindest way to leave, with a backdrop of a static-y guitar as Robin Wattie sings these elaborate vocal melodies over Liam Andrews’ slow, chugging bass. It’s the first time BIG|BRAVE have welcomed a dedicated bass player onto a full studio album, and over the runtime of this piece, he adds some much needed rhythm in lieu of percussion. All the while, the sustained crunch of controlled feedback from the guitars, bouncing around the song with a cavernous echo.
Wattie, when speaking on this album, has written that she wanted to “explore catchy, melodic phrasing” in her vocals as a contrast to the sheer overwhelming feel of the instrumentation. This is clear on the second track, a shape of shame, as she sings with an almost uncertain tone, holding back until what might even resemble a chorus, where she finally projects her voice over strummed guitars, her vocal becoming gradually more bitcrushed as it reaches higher. If the idea of a pop song structure turning itself on its head was what they were going for, they achieve it here with an effect not too dissimilar to BJÖRK’s Pluto in its effect and execution, as her visceral yell is complimented by a never ending wall of buzzing, droning guitars.
Elsewhere on this album, we get verdure, the feedback you get when trying to plug your guitar into your aux given physical form, serving as the rhythmic and textural basis for the song. It immediately provokes the aesthetics of industrial music, the reverberating yet muted drums being integral to the most atmospherically rich take on the record so far. Occasionally, it shifts into a glimpse of a much more nightmarish world, before fully committing to it with noise that feels like the instrumentation screaming in agony. The rhythmic feedback continues to loop, the now wailing guitar noise trapped within it, unable to escape. It’s an absolutely harrowing effect to listen to.
Ending this record off is title track in grief or in hope, another monolithic sonic landscape that we’ve come to expect at this point. There’s something to be said for a group not surprising us in the slightest, but the music they’re producing is so good that it doesn’t matter regardless. The hazy mess of sound in this track is just so easy to get lost in that you can’t help but fall in love with it. It builds itself up over around four minutes, introducing what sounds like phaser and hitting you over head with waves of noise that start as immediately as they stop. Little explosions of sound appear in the background occasionally, almost volcanic in nature, before fizzling out.
On this album BIG|BRAVE do what they do best, with influences from genres like electroacoustic adding to their broad sonic palette, giving it a new kind of sonic complexity compared to their previous albums. The choice for melody to be mostly reserved to Wattie’s vocals is a welcome one, providing contrast on an album whose main appeal in terms of the instrumentation is the layered textures and soundscapes. The rhythmic edge given by the percussion and newly-introduced bass only helps to round it out, providing more means for each individual performer and the songwriting to stand out. Wherever BIG|BRAVE go from here, we’re excited to see.
Score: 8/10
In Grief Or In Hope will be released on 12th June 2026 via Thrill Jockey.
Words: Noise Leonard
Photos: BIG|BRAVE
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