Cleveland’s doom maestros craft their most haunting masterpiece yet with ‚Heretics & Lullabies‘
There’s something unsettling about beauty wrapped in darkness. It’s that eerie space between comfort and dread where Cleveland’s FRAYLE have made their home, and with their third full-length album Heretics & Lullabies, they’ve perfected the art of sonic seduction.
After commanding stages at Damnation, Desertfest, Soul Crusher, Gloomnar, Post Fest and Inkcarceration, the duo of vocalist Gwyn Strang and guitarist Sean Bilovecky return this October via Napalm Records with what might be their most ambitious work to date. And if you’ve been following their trajectory since Revolver Magazine flagged them as ones to watch in 2023, you know that’s saying something.
The Evolution of Darkness
FRAYLE has always existed in the liminal space between genres. They’re doom, yes, but not in any traditional sense. There’s blackgaze shimmer in their walls of sound, occult weight in their riffs, and an ethereal quality to Strang’s vocals that makes „haunting“ feel like an understatement. They call it „lullabies of chaos,“ and with Heretics & Lullabies, that vision has never been more fully realized.
Recorded by the band themselves and brought to crushing life by producer Aaron Chaparian at Iron Audio (Bleeding Through, Harms Way), the album opens with „Walking Wounded“ – a whispering wall-of-sound that immediately establishes the record’s spine-tingling DNA. Strang’s layered harmonies don’t just float over Bilovecky’s guitars; they entwine with them, creating something that feels both suffocating and oddly comforting.
Redefining Covers
Then comes the curveball: „Summertime Sadness.“ Taking Lana Del Rey’s melancholic pop anthem and reimagining it through a doom-laden lens could have been a gimmick. Instead, it’s a statement of intent. FRAYLE doesn’t just cover songs; they possess them, dragging them into their shadowy sonic realm until the original DNA is barely recognizable beneath layers of distortion and despair.
It’s a bold move that pays off, showcasing the band’s ability to find the darkness already lurking in seemingly bright places. If Del Rey’s original was a sad summer day, FRAYLE’s version is the same day viewed through a funeral veil.
The Heart of Darkness
Mid-album cuts „Demons“ and „Glass Blown Heart“ showcase FRAYLE’s gift for macabre poetry. Strang’s lyrics don’t shy away from the abyss; they peer directly into it, finding beauty in the void. These tracks flirt with otherworldly melody while maintaining the crushing weight that defines modern doom.
But it’s the glacially-paced „Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal“ where the album truly bares its teeth. Described by the band as a deeply personal exploration of despair following painful deception, the track exemplifies FRAYLE’s ability to transform personal anguish into universal catharsis. It’s suffocatingly beautiful, with Strang’s shimmering vocals acting as a siren’s call over Bilovecky’s punishing riffs.
Building to the Breaking Point
„Hymn For The Living“ and standout single „Heretic“ inject a heavy rock edge that feels almost arena-ready, proving that FRAYLE can expand their sound without losing their essence. The drums pound with newfound urgency, while the guitars maintain that signature bending tone that makes their sound so distinctively unsettling.
And then there’s the closer. „Only Just Once“ is a droning melodic masterpiece that feels like watching the sun set on a dying world – beautiful, terrible, and utterly inevitable. It’s the kind of song that demands you sit in silence for a moment after it ends, processing what just washed over you.
A New Standard for Modern Doom
What makes Heretics & Lullabies exceptional isn’t just its technical prowess or atmospheric density – though both are impressive. It’s the album’s accessibility despite its darkness. This is a record that will satisfy doom purists and post-metal devotees while remaining approachable enough for alt-rock fans dipping their toes into heavier waters.
FRAYLE has achieved something rare: they’ve created an album that’s both challenging and inviting, aggressive and beautiful, suffocating and cathartic. It’s a pristinely phantomic journey that refuses to let go, burrowing deeper into your psyche with each listen.
The Verdict
Heretics & Lullabies is a triumph of modern doom metal, a testament to FRAYLE’s evolution from promising upstarts to genre-defining artists. Gwyn Strang and Sean Bilovecky have crafted an album that doesn’t just meet expectations – it transcends them, establishing new benchmarks for what atmospheric doom can achieve.
As the album title suggests, this is music for both heretics and dreamers, for those who find comfort in discomfort and beauty in darkness. It’s a lullaby, yes, but one sung from the edge of an abyss. And once you hear it, you’ll never want to wake up.
Heretics & Lullabies drops October 2025 via Napalm Records.
Essential Tracks: „Walking Wounded,“ „Heretic,“ „Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal,“ „Only Just Once“
Strem the Album here on Spotify: