Heavens – Patent Pending

Heavens are one of those bands that have been in the closest for a few years. They’ve been hiding in the mind of its creators and kept being pushed back due to prior commitments in other bands; constantly building in intensity and anticipation until finally they break and put it all together. It is two years of worked compacted into an eleven track album, ready to explode into your stereo and literally awake the dead. That culmination of work is called Patent Pending, by the unknown duo Heavens which features Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio on vocals and lyrics and Josiah Steinbrick of the now-defunct F-Minus supplying the musical element of the duo.

The biggest surprise is how vastly different Heavens is when compared to both member’s other efforts, particularly Steinbrick’s. While F-Minus used to be raw, fast, live and in your face, Patent Pending is the exact opposite. It is much smoother, softer and laid back – and surprisingly electronic without being obnoxious. The music sounds much more complete and complex than something normally crafted by a singular man. Listen to the final seconds of Heather with the soaring string section, or the delicate instrumental track Doves that leads perfectly into the eerie Another Night making for an unforgettable one-two punch that propels the album past the halfway point without losing a single beat.

Of course the reason why most fans will end up checking it out is to hear Skiba; and while it is distinctively Skiba, it’s also a very different delivery then most people are used to. The vocals are much less intense, more laid back and mellow, complimenting the music perfectly. He even opted to use some pitch editors to make his vocals sound much digital in certain tracks. His delivery is perfect, and when combined with the eerie, laid back music of Steinbrick, you’re in for a rare treat – an album that is varied enough to keep you entertained for the whole disc while keeping a steady flow and distinct vision. And,like always, Skiba once again proves his lyricism skills with haunting lyrics of death and disaster that are still somehow sprinkled with a pinch of hope at the end.

Heavens was quiet for a few years, under everyone’s radar, but now Skiba and Steinbrick are out and ready to show the world their creation; and with the album out and a tour in the works, it seems that there will be no end in sight for the talented duo.