Breaths – "The Forgotten Ones"

Breaths is a post-rock project from Richmond, Virginia. Founder Jason now introduced me to the latest single from his debut album "Lined In Silver", which he will release in March. The song "The Forgotten Ones" is about the relationship between humans and animals. Jason and his family have been living vegan for four years now.

"Lined In Silver" is a mixture of post-metal, doom gaze, blackgaze and post-rock. Jason recommends it to fans of bands like Deftones, The Ocean, Holy Fawn, Sleep Token and Mountaineer – of course; he immediately hit a nerve with me.

Jason. Bild/picture: Breaths

Before I took a closer look at the single "The Forgotten Ones", I had the opportunity to listen to the whole record. Let me tell you: it is definitely worth getting excited about! Just go ahead and pre-order it! I swear you won't get disappointed. Jason has really created a little gem here.

"The Forgotten Ones" tells a story

Even though the record follows a clear musical concept, you can listen to the individual singles separately. This also applies to "The Forgotten Ones", which already tells a story in itself.

The story of suffering and betrayal, fear and death, misunderstandings, exploitation and the anguish of the souls of those who made the connection. Why caress some and slaughter others? What lies behind this warped morality and deep-rooted cognitive dissonance?

Jason has grappled with all of this, and he shouts his pain out into the world. The song is a vegan anthem. It fits in perfectly with "Nebulas" by Crippled Black Phoenix and "The Way Of All Flesh" by Gojira, yet is very personal. "The Forgotten Ones" is the story of a musician who regrets not having made his decision earlier and now calls on people to look deeper.

Gritty guitar riffs and sound baths

Breaths – The Forgotten Ones. © Michelle Roberts

Board-hard gritty guitar riffs, bass amps included, provide a Deftones-esque opening, shouting transitions into clear, thoughtful vocals. The lyrics get under your skin:

"No one will remember our names... "

The guitars continue to build in the background. This song is not an apology but rather a call to humanity to finally change and remember the forgotten creatures behind the meat factories' walls.

The last third is carried by a playful post-rock bridge that connects the peak with the finale. The sound bath flows along - a brief meditative interlude. Jason's vocals call from a distance and gradually rise again to hardcore screaming of the finest quality - now even combined with a fat double bass interlude - so fans of (post-)metal and doom are by no means left out.

The pulse goes up, the pupils dilate. What happens next? Listen to the whole record! This human not only delivers insanely good music. He also thinks about things and manages to translate them into notes in a masterly way.

By the way, the incredible artwork is by Jason's wife Michelle.

Read my interview with Breaths founder Jason now.