Sightless Pit is the new collaborative project of Lee Buford of The Body, Kristin Hayter of Lingua Ignota and Dylan Walker of Full of Hell. Grave of a Dog is a blissful listen from start to finish, but not suitable for close-minded and non-eclectic listeners.
It would be an understatement to say that the minds behind this project present us with a catchy and easy effort. Dylan Walker describes the album’s core themes as being “about the anonymity of struggle, the darkness of a lifetime wasted warring against nature, god and everything else, only to be defeated… nothing… the end.” With that in mind, you could assume that Grave of a Dog an easy listening experience. Over the course of the eight tracks the trio’s expansive ideas detail this insightful view of the state of the world, how people connect, basically showing us that the world is fucked up. A moment of clarity that is both devasting, but also incredible stunning and honest. The songs are simultaneously grand and tense.
On opener “Kingscorpse” you get dragged to a filthy daydream and disturbing nightmare, whereas in tracks like “Immersion Dispersal” and “The Ocean of Mercy” there’s a connection to the brutality and extreme elements of their sound with this atmospheric, almost claustrophobic noise, likening a ritual summoning. However, this is an album that is also built on contrasts and careful complexity, “Violent Rain” and “Love is Dead, All Love is Dead” sound delicate and bleak, but the fragmented arrangements on both show us the trio’s impressive ability to step into bold uncharted waters.
Grave of a Dog is breathtakingly honest and fucking cathartic, it may sound ugly, noisy and hellish, challenging at times too, but these prolific minds were brave enough to craft one of their most exciting and collaborative projects in years. You can’t help to sit back and listen to it several times.