REVIEW: The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want To See You In Heaven

There aren't many bands who can do what Atlanta, Georgia's The Callous Daoboys do, and for good reason. Their blend of math rock, post-punk, abrasive metalcore, hardcore, pop and plenty more is so outlandishly unique, you'd struggle to find anyone who can write music in any fashion even vaguely resembling theirs. With their third album I Don't Want To See You In Heaven all but upon us, it's time to dive back into the richly diverse set of chaos-driven soundscapes that them there Daoboys just love to plate up.

This latest LP of theirs is a conceptual masterclass, and is also an incredibly vulnerable piece that reflects the last few years of lead vocalist Carson Pace's life in every inglorious detail and facet. As Pace himself states - “Everything is very singular and personal. I’m not making an album commenting on anything societal or political this time, this is an album just for me. It’s every emotion I’ve felt and sobering thought since 2021. I can only make this album now, not in three years when I’m thirty, not ten years ago when I was seventeen. This is the snapshot of 24-27. A scrapbook of trial and error, or better yet, a Museum of Failure."

Speaking of a "Museum of Failure" - the band have been doing some work with that in their advertising, and in the first track of the album, 'I. Collection of Forgotten Dreams', they have a voiceover as if a museum tour guide is discussing the album many centuries from now, as if in that very museum. The overarching concept though is even more deft and subtle, so to again look to Pace - “The album is an artifact that’s been preserved, and hundreds of years in the future, you’re listening to this album in the museum. It’s a known failure, but the narrative is ‘if it survives forever, is it truly a failure?".

Moving on into the album proper takes us into somewhat well-charted territory. Track two goes by the name of 'Schizophrenia Legacy', and is a blistering assault on the senses that careens and ducks and dives in a way that could only ever be written by this group. There is not much room to breathe across the next three tracks either, with 'Full Moon Guidance' and lead single 'Two-Headed Trout' adding plenty more caustic heaviness and razor sharp riffing, before the first guest spot obliterates everything as Orthodox step up to bat on 'Tears on Lambo Leather'.

This ruthless, abrasive onslaught is given up briefly on 'Lemon' and 'Body Horror For Birds', as the former becomes the best pop/funk/triphop track you've heard in your life, with a brief and controlled explosion as it comes in to land. The latter is the calmest moment thus far by some significant stretch, and features 1ST VOWS across a five and a half minute ambient, shoegazey, dreamy piece of music that allows the listener to float away for a spell, before being ripped out of that daydream by other lead single, 'The Demon of Unreality Limping Like A Dog', in all its mathy glory.

Having never been a band to rest on their laurels, there's no chance of that happening here either - 'Idiot Temptation Force' signs you up for karate classes with an expert and expects you to try and fight them on the first day, in an altogether disgustingly heavy experience - until the enormous tone shift joined by a steel drum and brass section. There is genuinely no way in hell that this should work, but there is somehow STILL something that stitches this together and keeps things cohesive.

'Douchebag Safari' is not only a phenomenal name, it's also another of the whiplash inducing moments in The Callous Daoboys' discography. Leaping from a relaxed electronic track into a grinding, synthy, mathcore behemoth, no punches are pulled. Another of the album's singles pops up here, with 'Distracted by The Mona Lisa' taking a delightful moment to let some of their less intense heaviness ring out. Then comes time for the second shortest piece on the album, the penultimate track, 'II. Opt Out', which ultimately acts to tee up the gargantuan final track that is the twelve minute long 'III. Country Song In Reverse', featuring low before the breeze. The near three minute intro just builds tension before the first of many explosions of sound in this anguished, twisting trip through hell that manages to make you smile and quiver in fear mere seconds apart.

I Don't Want To See You In Heaven is a once-in-a-generation release. Any other band who attempted this would fail. This is a singular album in so many ways, not least because only one band could ever have pulled it off. It feels like it might be too early to call it, but we could be witnessing the beginning of an era-defining arc of music. The Callous Daoboys don't just break the glass ceiling on LP3, they have smashed any and all expectations in a manner that will be analysed by music journalists, fans, and musicians alike for years to come. Their reign is inevitable, and it might be best if we sit back and let them take the wheel already.

Score: 10/10

I Don't Want To See You In Heaven will be released on May 16th 2025 via MNRK Heavy.

Words: Jake Longhurst

Photos: The Callous Daoboys