Nothing

Nothing fuses the shadowy weight of heavy metal with the radiant textures of shoegaze through dense layers of warped guitar and relentless drumming, accented by celestial vocal blends and introspective words that confront personal hardship and suffering in many forms. Their first full-length effort, Guilty of Everything from 2014, forged a striking balance between those two worlds, while later releases shifted emphasis—sometimes toward luminous, harmony-driven arrangements on Tired of Tomorrow in 2016, other times toward a more theatrical, nearly dream-pop sensibility on Dance on the Blacktop in 2018—yet always retained an underlying metallic core. That same willingness to push boundaries surfaced again on the 2023 joint release with Full of Hell, When No Birds Sang, demonstrating that the group remained ready to plunge headlong into experimental metal territory despite any polished moments in their catalog.

After surviving a brutal stretch that landed him in prison for two years on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault, ex-Horror Show guitarist Domenic Palermo sought a fresh direction. Those inner conflicts took shape as Nothing, a luminous shoegaze endeavor that wove in traces of his hardcore background alongside heavier metallic edges. The project’s initial EP, Downward Years to Come, appeared in late 2012 via A389 Records. Following a 2013 deal with Relapse Records and the addition of guitarist Brandon Setta, bassist Chris Betts, and drummer Kyle Kimball, the band delivered its debut album Guilty of Everything on the label in early 2014. A year of extensive road work preceded a split single with fellow noise-gaze outfit Whirr, issued on Run for Cover Records that November.

Prior to beginning their sophomore record, Palermo suffered a severe beating after a performance in Oakland, California, leading to an extended hospital stay and persistent vertigo that carried into the studio sessions. Producer Will Yip helped steer the sessions, yielding Tired of Tomorrow for the fledgling Collect Records imprint. Upon learning the label was backed by controversial pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, the band fought to exit the agreement, ultimately returning to Relapse where the more alt-rock-leaning Tired of Tomorrow surfaced in May 2016.

Further medical evaluations stemming from Palermo’s near-fatal experience uncovered early-stage CTE, a progressive brain condition tied to repeated head trauma. This revelation shaped the songwriting for the band’s subsequent album, Dance on the Blacktop, released in 2018. With bassist Aaron Heard now aboard, Nothing traveled to Woodstock to record inside a converted church alongside veteran alt-rock producer John Agnello, crafting a set that carried the emotional heft of their debut and the refined gloss of the second while amplifying dramatic tension drawn from Palermo’s ordeals. After the album’s release, longtime guitarist Setta departed and was replaced by Doyle Martin of Cloakroom.

The refreshed lineup entered the studio in early 2020 just as pandemic lockdowns gripped the United States. They convened at a facility near Philadelphia and remained quarantined together with producer Will Yip for five weeks while laying down what became The Great Dismal. Additional contributions came from harpist Mary Lattimore, violinist Shelley Weiss, and Alex G. The resulting record emerged in November 2020, restoring the dense sonic weight of their first album while highlighting the melodic refinement developed across prior releases. Their following endeavor paired them with abstract dark-metal outfit Full of Hell inside a studio in Ocean City, Maryland, where grinding harsh noise and guttural vocals merged with atmospheric soundscapes and vocal harmonies. That collaboration, When No Birds Sang, arrived via Closed Casket Activities in November 2023.