Album Review: Oblivion – Divided Heaven

Divided Heaven’s Oblivion will be released by A-F Records and Gunner Records on 4th February 2022. Picture by Sarah Berman.

Having released various singles over the past year that bridged the gap between multiple genres, Divided Heaven is kicking off 2022 with the release of their provocatively punchy fourth full-length album Oblivion.

Oblivion showcases the very best of frontman Jeff Berman’s versatility as a songwriter, breaking free from the stereotypical songwriter mold with thought-provoking lyrics that leave poetic puncture wounds of criticism in America’s villains, accompanying the overdrive rock sound with a distinctly unique and gritty edge.

Speaking on the timing of Oblivion‘s birth into the world and the significant gutsy shift in how he tackled subject matter in his songwriting, Jeff Berman said:

I had to write a record that matched the times: delicate to chaotic, heartfelt to dirty. Before, I would’ve shied away from topics such as sexual assault and victim blaming but this time I called-out the disgusting misogyny (in the track ‘Reckoning’) and threw shade at the abusers in our music scene (in the track ‘Creep’).

Before, I might’ve tried to portray some semblance of decency about my fellow citizenry; this time I lament that goodness and kindness are losing the culture war (in the track ‘Panic’) and trolling is rewarded over intelligence (in the track ‘Burn Me’).

Single ‘They Poisoned Our Fathers’ featuring alt-country star Lydia Loveless released on 27th October 2020 gave a flavour of the themes found on Oblivion. An impassioned political song, it speaks of a fierce personal statement of resistance; a resistance against Trump and the passive politicians that enabled his actions.

Underneath the blunt and the brave found on Oblivion however, there is a seasoned and careful vocal delivery that exposes and calls out society’s rotting with an overflowing vulnerability and tenderness, with emotions seeping through on track ‘Reckoning’ particularly.

Oblivion is a concoction of weird, with a pinch of Satanism and a heavy dose of sex and politics that results in an unapologetic and provocative Divided Heaven album like none before.

Catch Oblivion, Divided Heaven’s most ambitious album yet on all major platforms on 4th February 2022.