Sertraline (Buffalo, NY) formed in the winter of 2014 as a reimagining of veteran death-doom group Where She Wept. The band, armed with the experience and chemistry of longtime collaboration, began to craft a new sonic legacy, combining atmostpheric black metal with post-rock elements to create a uniquely heavy-hitting trio of EPs: Shade (2017), From Both Our Hands (2019), and These Mills Are Oceans (2019), now released as a single compilation for the first time entitled The Streetlight Was All We Needed.
Sertraline are marked by immense musical saturation. Three guitars pour out sustained, melodic passages drenched in reverb and illustrated with glacial leads, backed by a rhythm section inspired equally to jazz-like syncopation and punishing metal proficiency. Often wandering but never lost, each song surprises listeners in turn with moments of introspection and emotional climax, punctuated by lyrics which span themes of “guilt, regret, addiction, anxiety, and depression...but also a hunger for love and hope” amidst reflection upon and angst towards the present social and political climate.
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Reviews:
\"Whoever crafted this music did so from the bottom of their hearts and souls and it is noticeable when listening to it.\"
-Metal Roos
\"Falling somewhere between Wolves in the Throne Room and Deafheaven, the walls of sound delivered by Sertraline’s three guitarists are rich, textured slabs of bleakness that tower up, threatening to swamp you, even as the drumming and excellent bass keep you afloat. \"
-Angry Metal Guy
“From Both Our Hands” is a very crafty and engaging release that showcases a promising young band and a wide array of cool ideas in the genre. If you like dreamy Post-whatever music that is both intense and carefully crafted, look no further and check this one out.\"
-Infernal Masquerade Magazine
\"Sertraline revive the over saturated world of atmospheric and post-black metal. They utilize their influences well without being a mirror image. They echo the lush reverb tremolo haze that Alcest have become known for, all while sticking to a more fundamental black metal sound. There is an ebb and flow to the album similar to a river. The swells build until they come crashing down but instead of causing claustrophobia it creates a sense of beauty, and of engulfing melody.\"
-Cvlt Nation
\"I would bet this band are destined for cult status in an already awesome scene.\"
-Musipedia of Metal
\"Imagine a steady, dismal rainfall with no sign of a letup. From Both Our Hands paints grey skies, murky waters and withering autumnal trees on an otherwise blank canvas. \"
