Our Raw Heart is the eighth studio album by American doom metal band YOB. It was released June 8, 2018, by Relapse Records.[8]

Our Raw Heart
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
Recorded2017–2018
Genre
Length73:16
LabelRelapse Records
YOB chronology
Clearing the Path to Ascend
(2014)
Our Raw Heart
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Exclaim!(8/10)[3]
Metal Injection(9/10)[4]
Metal Storm(8.0/10)[5]
Pitchfork(8/10)[6]
Rolling Stone(3.5/5)[7]

Production

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The album was produced by Billy Barnett.[9] The album was inspired by a serious health issue suffered by singer and guitarist Mike Scheidt in early 2017,[6] and most of the music was written while he was in a hospital bed.[7] The album has been described as a cross between the band's two previous studio albums, mixing the aggression of Atma (2011) with the psychedelic experimentation of Clearing the Path to Ascend (2014).[6] AllMusic classified it as a doom metal album "possessed of hope", with elements of sludge metal, stoner metal and post-metal psychedelia.[1]

Critical reception

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Our Raw Heart was well received by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 82 based on 10 reviews.[2] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 83 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 9 reviews.[10]

Metal Injection called the album "engaging and revealing, immediately appealing but with subtle nuances and layers that only become apparent after subsequent listens. It's a powerful and cathartic release,"[4] while Rolling Stone praised the band for "subvert[ing] doom's bleak conventions, painting the genre's slowpoke churn with uplifting melodies, cosmic textures and Scheidt's existential howl like a dreampop Dio."[7] NPR Music said about the album: "the lightness is devastating."[11]

Accolades

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Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Decibel Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2018
1
Consequence of Sound Top 25 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2018
1
Metal Injection Top 20 Albums of 2018
5
Vulture.com 15 Best Albums of 2018
12

Track list

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No.TitleLength
1."Ablaze"10:13
2."The Screen"9:49
3."In Reverie"9:43
4."Lungs Reach"5:39
5."Beauty in Falling Leaves"16:27
6."Original Face"7:03
7."Our Raw Heart"14:22
Total length:73:16

Personnel

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  • Mike Scheidt – vocal, guitars
  • Aaron Rieseberg – bass
  • Travis Foster – drums
Additional musicians
  • Billy Barnett – piano

Charts

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Chart performance for Our Raw Heart
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[16] 20
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17] 37
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] 9
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[19] 3

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Tremblay, Mark (June 6, 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Bowar, Chad (June 5, 2018). "Album Review: YOB, Our Raw Heart". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Yob - Our Raw Heart review". Metal Storm. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c O'Connor, Andy (June 8, 2018). "YOB: Our Raw Heart". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Weingarten, Christopher R. (June 7, 2018). "Review: Yob's 'Our Raw Heart' Is Dreamy, Uplifting Doom Metal". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "YOB Release 'Our Raw Heart' on June 8 via Relapse, Announce North American Tour". Relapse Records. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  9. ^ "YOB: Credits, Our Raw Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Heller, Jason (May 31, 2018). "On YOB's 'Our Raw Heart,' The Lightness Is Devastating". NPR Music. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Mudrian, Albert (November 15, 2018). "SPOILER: Here Are Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2018". Decibel. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Heavy Consequence Staff (December 5, 2018). "Top 25 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2018". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  14. ^ "Metal Injection Writers' Collective Top 20 Albums of 2018". Metal Injection. December 28, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  15. ^ "The 15 Best Albums of 2018". Vulture.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Yob Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Yob Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  18. ^ "Yob Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  19. ^ "Yob Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.