Forever Blue in Bloomington, MN

Few artists have had a career trajectory quite like
A.A. Williams
. She put out her debut EP in early 2019, before she had even staged a live gig, and by the end of the year, she was the new darling of the independent music press, playing major festivals, opening for the likes of
Explosions in the Sky
,
Russian Circles
, and
the Sisters of Mercy
, and had landed a record deal with
Bella Union
for her first full-length album. While the notion of a classical musician and secret metalhead becoming an overnight underground sensation makes for a good story,
Williams
' success has come for a good reason -- she's a prodigiously talented musician with a strong creative vision, and her first LP, 2020's
Forever Blue
, is a remarkable piece of work. The gloomy whisper of
' voice, clear and forceful despite the occasional fragile quaver, is impressive enough. She's just as gifted as a composer, instrumentalist, and arranger; on
, she's conjured a world that's beautiful but thoroughly haunted, where death, heartache, and menace lurk around every corner, and the elemental melodies are reinforced with keenly intelligent use of strings, bass, drums, and occasional interjections of crunching guitars. (The howling wall of electric noise and roaring guest vocals from
Cult of Luna
's
Johannes Persson
on "Fearless" may stand out from most of the rest of the album, yet in context it all feels like a part of the same puzzle.) Though much of
' initial support came from the more esoteric corners of the metal community,
isn't really metal and often barely sounds like rock. It is, however, inarguably heavy, with a massive emotional and sonic impact, and the measured pace and dramatic use of open spaces suggests
Low
's early work beefed up with apocalyptic undertow that's all the more punishing for its subtlety. Your friends who wear black all the time may be the target audience, but
' ambitious blend of post-rock, folk, goth, metal, and classical ingredients deserves as wide a hearing as it gets, and
is a uniquely effective debut album. ~ Mark Deming