INSATIABLE

The title for Divide and Dissolve's new album, Insatiable, came to Takiaya Reed in a dream. The multi-instrumentalist and composer had a vision of a better world, one that gelled seamlessly with the optimism of her take on doom metal: "I saw people committing great acts of harm never being happy, and people committing great acts of love, always being happy," she says. "People are constantly feeding into this genocidal energy, depleting all of these resources in the name of so-called power, just to end up powerless. Whereas people feeding into pathways of love and decolonial energy, honouring loving and benevolent ancestors, experience such a deep sense of fulfilment." For Takiaya, this is what it means to be "insatiable"; it's the way we choose either a path of destruction or one of compassion, and experience it to it's fullest. "The album's title hits on so many levels," she continues. "It's an album about love, and it feels important to tap into that, now more than ever." If all of this sounds a bit heavy, wait until you hear Divide and Dissolve's music. Already legends on the international doom metal scene, they are able to build upon the genre's trademark sludgy guitars and thundering drums with Takaiya's deft and wondrous saxophone, adding a layer of intricacy rarely seen in doom. Over Insatiable's 10 tracks, Divide and Dissolve run the gamut of doom metal - from the ear-splitting depths of lead single "Monolithic", to contemplative, dare we even say softer moments, like on the aptly titled songs "Loneliness" and "Grief". Divide and Dissolve are a band that have honed their sound to a fine point, and yet continue to find new ways to evolve, both musically and conceptually. Like all of Divide and Dissolve's music, Insatiable is almost entirely instrumental, but is able to convey deep resonance and complexity.