I'm currently compiling metal and metal-adjacent music for Territory's Edge, my monthly recap column on New Fury Media. After the last Friday of the month (May 27), I will select 5-8 albums or songs to discuss in detail.
May Release Tracker
Singles
Suicide Silence - "Thinking in Tongues" (May 3, deathcore)
Wake - "Swallow the Light" (May 4, deathgrind/post-metal)
Now an independent band, Northlane delves further into the industrial metal influences introduced on 2019's Alien. The Australian group's unique cyber-djent style is dark, aggressive and technical, while also accessible. Jon Deiley creates a Matrix-style backdrop for Marcus' seething snarls and angelic singing. Alien was a concept album primarily about frontman Marcus Bridge's traumatic backstory, and his refusal to succumb to the heroin addiction, abuse and violence that surrounded him. Obsidian similarly touches on alienation, but here he is clearly moving forward in the aftermath of the situation. Marcus' vocal performance is stunning, displaying an incredible vocal range. While nearly an hour in length, Obsidian remains unpredictable and varies its pacing throughout. While Northlane have received multiple ARIA awards in their home country of Australia, I still think they don't get enough credit for their ability to hybridize genres - and blend the old with the new - in a way that rivals crossover superstars Bring Me the Horizon. Northlane's recent material masterfully incorporates influences from Celldweller, Nine Inch Nails and Linkin park within the context of a heavier, modern progressive metal sound. Northlane is one of heavy music's most exciting, innovative bands that keeps pushing forward while blending the old with the new.
Greyhaven - This Bright and Beautiful World
Even if they weren't from Kentucky, Greyhaven's mix of alternative rock and chaotic metalcore would geographically be right at home within the Southern hardcore scene. Indeed, the swaggering standouts "More and More Hands" and "Foreign Anchor" are reminiscent of Every Time I Die or Norma Jean, and combine chaotic metalcore with melodic, undeniably catchy hooks. However, while Greyhaven prominently showcases their influences, they don't just copy bands that came before them. With a sound ranging from furious opener "In a Room Where Everything Dies" to moody alternative rock tracks like "Ornaments from the Well" and "Fed to the Lights", Greyhaven precisely balances the light and heavy elements within ten tracks. One of This Bright and Beautiful World's greatest strengths is the sense of unity and versatility throughout. No individual track - including the deceptively radio-friendly single "All Candy" - sounds out of place.
Lions at the Gate/Tatiana Schmayluk - "Find My Way"
Founded by former members of New Jersey-based Latin metal band Ill Nino, Lions at the Gate have released three singles as of now. The band's sound will satisfy fans of that early 2000s Roadrunner Records sound, while bringing it into a modern era. Their latest song, "Find My Way" brings along Tatiana Schmayluk, who has made her mark in the Ukrainian metal band Jinjer. Cristian Machado and Tatiana trade off both harsh and clean vocals, which ranges from aggressive Slipknot-style verses and melodic choruses.
Undeath - It's Time...To Rise From the Grave
The follow-up to their debut Lesions of a Different Kind, It's Time...To Rise From the Grave has earned Undeath considerable attention for a band this extreme in sound. This is old-school death metal that doesn't take itself too seriously. Vocalist Alexander Jones describes his band as a group of "internet music nerds" that prefer having fun and smiling during live shows. On this album, Undeath have several songs about amassing an army of zombies equipped with weapons and high-tech enhancements - a concept cited in the Apple Music description as "Army of the Dead meets The Terminator" - and a handful of others about reading spooky books or gathering bones at the cemetery. The band's ethos and lyrical approach is very tongue in cheek, but the music is deadly serious. Each track is straightforward and brutal, built around the riff, while still displaying technical guitar skill.
Fallujah - "Radiant Ascension"
The song starts out with fast-paced guitar shredding right away, later incorporating the atmosphere that marked albums like Dreamless and The Flesh Prevails. The lineup may have changed, but Fallujah made a triumphant return to their core sound here, melding technical death metal with atmospheric instrumental sections. The band's upcoming album Empyrean will be released on September 9. The duality of female and male vocals that marked Dreamless has returned as well, Tori Letzler's and Anthony Palermo's vocals duet over the chaos.
Reflections - The Fantasy Effect Redux
Minnesota progressive deathcore/djent band have released an entirely new reworking of their debut The Fantasy Effect ten years after its original release date. Similar to how Silent Planet remade their debut The Night God Slept, this is not simply a remaster (you'll notice the track runtimes are different from the original). While the original was self-produced, the redux is mixed and mastered by Buster Odeholm. Clear dynamic between aggression and calm, and with improved sound quality it stands out more. While Reflections' recent material (Willow, Silhouette) is nearly invariably a brutal beatdown from start to finish, The Fantasy Effect incorporates atmospheric passages on tracks like "Good Push", "An Artifact" and "Rotations" as well as standout guitar technicality.
Meshuggah - Immutable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyWbQwK65Qc
Widely credited as the forefathers of the djent movement with their down-tuned brand of technical death metal, this highly influential Swedish band has released their first new music in six years. The Swedes' technical sound includes off-kilter time signatures and occasionally experimented with avante-garde compositions, especially on the underrated Catch Thirtythree. While Immutable stays true to Meshuggah's signature style, there's enough variety present to hold the listener's interest the whole way through. The standout opener "Broken Cog" weaves menacing whispered vocals around a polyrhythmic, staccato riff, while the instrumental epic "They Move Below" progresses from a temporary calm to a storm of colossal riffs. Other tracks like "Ligature Marks" and "The Abysmal Eye" are all-out heavy. The end result is - in my opinion - easily Meshuggah's best work since 2008's obZen.
Other Notable Releases
Singles
Ithaca - "In the Way" (Apr 4, hardcore)
Artificial Brain - "Celestial Cyst" (Apr 4, technical death metal)
Misery Index - "Infiltrators" (Apr 6, death metal/hardcore)
Origin - "Ecophagy" (Apr 6, technical death metal)
Deathwhite - "No Thought or Memory" (Apr 7, doom)
Temple of Void - "Deathtouch" (Apr 7, death metal)
Upon a Burning Body - "A New Responsibility" (Apr 7, deathcore)
Kreator - "Strongest of the Strong" (Apr 8, death/thrash)
Primitive Man - "Cage Intimacy" (Apr 14, death doom/sludge)
I'm currently writing these monthly articles at New Fury Media, so you can also keep up with my posts there. Two bonus reviews are included on this blog post as a bit of a ChasmsMetal exclusive.
March was stacked with new music. Below, I give a rundown of the month
in metal and delve into the five new releases that caught my attention
the most. In addition to the new Vein.fm album, March was a
particularly solid month for metalcore. Charismatic Seattle newcomers
AVOID unleashed a fun double single, Wolves at the Gate dropped their
fifth album Eulogies and Erra released a special edition of their
self-titled 2021 album with seven extra tracks, including an excellent
cover of Muse’s “Stockholm Syndrome”. The Singaporean grindcore band
Wormrot – who gained worldwide attention in 2011 from a famous goat who
attended their shows – are back with a new single “Behind Closed Doors”.
And while outside the realm of rock and metal, you really should check
out lyrical rapper (and metal fan) Denzel Curry’s latest project Melt My Eyez, See My Future if you haven’t already.
Vein.FM - This World is Going to Ruin You
“There was a lot of feeling of being taken advantage of, so it’s like a wounded animal or a scared child getting revenge," Anthony DiDio said when describing the band's 32-minute new album. Make no mistake, this album is vicious, occasionally incorporating
softer, haunting elements, but mostly creating chaos and leaving a trail
of destruction in its wake. However, This World is Going To Ruin You displays
plenty of versatility within its short 32-minute runtime. “Wherever You
Are” is an ambient, dark interlude that leads into the fast and furious
“Magazine Beach”. And while primarily a ferocious mathcore track,
“Fear in Non Fiction” includes clean vocals from Thursday’s Geoff
Rickley around the 1:40 mark. An ominous atmospheric synth at the end
of the chaotic tenth track forms the prelude to the Loathe style
“Wavery”. This is the strongest and the most dynamic track on the
album. Floating, tenuous clean vocals across an atmospheric industrial
backdrop. Later the cleans intertwine with the harsh vocals and
crushing riffs that follow later. Finally, “Funeral Sound” closes out
the album on a seven minute abstract, amorphous piece that includes
whispery vocals over piano, an answering machine message, lyrics that
reference the album title, and heavy riffs.
Holy Fawn - "Death is a Relief"
Ryan Osterman simply describes his band as “loud heavy pretty noises”,
playing shoegaze with elements of doom and black metal. While Holy Fawn
tends to emphasize post-rock more than black metal, a similar wild,
nocturnal ambience lurks beneath. The band’s 2018 full-length Death
Spells exemplifies the grace and restless nature of a deer – one that
also carries a formidable, sharpened rack of antlers. Holy Fawn’s
latest single covers both sides of that dichotomy, and is reminiscent of
some Deafheaven material. “Death is a Relief” is a dark, atmospheric
song that may lull the listener into a false sense of security at the
start. While beginning as an ethereal alternative rock song, it slowly
builds up, and unleashes furious, raspy screams at the climax. Need
another reason to pay attention? Metal icon Randy Blythe of Lamb of God
is a major Holy Fawn fan, deemingDeath Spells his favorite album of the year.
Murals/Garrett Russell - "Out of Sight, Out of Spine"
On this track, Silent Planet frontman Garrett Russell joins Murals, an
instrumental post-hardcore collective led by former Hail the Sun
guitarist Shane Gann. “Out of Spite, Out of Spine” is written
about the current civil war and human rights violations occurring
within Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Garrett Russell, whose band Silent
Planet recently raised $13,918 to
directly benefit Ukrainian refugees, stressed the importance of not
turning away from suffering when humanitarian crises occur. A third of
the proceeds from this track go to benefit Refugees International.
Beyond the meaningful lyrical content, this is a fantastic self-produced
post-hardcore song in its own right. While Garrett is primarily a
screamer in Silent Planet (though he sung on sections of the band’s most
recent album), he shows a softer side to his delivery as well. Here,
his subdued clean vocals and signature screams complement Shane Gann’s
dynamic guitar riffs. Additionally, Shane’s other project Sufferer,
which utilizes three different vocalists to represent an individual’s
struggle with anxiety and depression, is worth checking out.
Arkaik - Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts
Technical death metal that rips with the hunger of a wolverine that eats ghosts. This album has its share of memorable moments, such as melodic harmonics in the waning seconds of "Abode of the Deceiver", a nice guitar solo in "Eminence Emergence", and catchy guitar licks in "Wayward Opulence". While primarily a showcase of technicality, these songs show how the band's guitar proficiency creates memorable moments too. "To Summon Amoria" has a quieter intro and a Gojira-like riff forming the backbone.
Wolves at the Gate - Eulogies
This is bit of a "safe" album for Wolves at the Gate that goes for a Octane sound, but by no means a bad one. Wolves at the Gate got their start as an aggressive post-hardcore/metalcore band with some subtle Thrice influences. Much like Thrice started out as a heavy punk band and transitioned to accessible but deep rock, Wolves at the Gate has gradually become more radio-friendly over their last three albums. "Lights
& Fire" is an entirely melodic rock track that exhibits Wolves at
the Gate at their most accessible, and in fact has been receiving some
attention from rock radio, particularly satellite rock radio station SiriusXM Octane. Most notable is that "Lights & Fire" has no screamed vocals, which is rare for a non-acoustic Wolves at the
Gate track. "Silent Anthem" closes the album on a strong note, with a sound that hearkens back to "Oh the Depths" from their 2011 debut EP We Are the Ones. Eulogies doesn't top their first three, but has its share of moments that prove "radio-friendly" doesn't always mean stale.
Animals as Leaders - Parrhesia
Simultaneously melodic and technical, Parrhesia continues the band’s
status as forerunners of instrumental metal/djent. The dazzling
fretwork from guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes is front and
center as always. Of particular note is the first track “Conflict
Cartography”, which capitalizes on dynamics, with a satisfying groove
and chord progression. The production is clean without sounding overly
polished, and comes courtesy of Misha Mansoor, Periphery’s guitarist and
founder. Additionally, Misha Mansoor has mixed two earlier Animals As
Leaders albums, the self-titled debut and The Joy of Motion.
Other Notable Releases
Singles
Kublai Khan - "Loyal to None" (Mar 2, hardcore)
Hollow Front - “The Price of Dreaming” (Mar 2, metalcore) - The Price of Dreaming (album) releases May 27
Gravemind - "Deathtouch" (Mar 3, deathcore)
Rammstein - "Zeit" (Mar 9, industrial metal)
Miss May I - "Unconquered" (Mar 9, metalcore)
Motionless in White - "Cyberhex" (Mar 10, metalcore)
Aviana - "Transcendent" (Mar 10, deathcore)
Cave In - “New Reality” (Mar 15, hardcore/alternative rock) - Heavy Pendulum releases May 20
Murals/Garrett Russell - “Out of Sight, Out of Spine” (Mar 16, post-hardcore) *
Welcome to the February edition of Territory’s Edge where I highlight the heavy music released this month that caught my attention. I don’t care much for strict categories or genre purism; whether the music is 13-minute-long blackened funeral doom or R&B influenced post hardcore, it’s eligible here. Bandcamp links are always listed by default if available, as buying from this platform does the most to directly support the artists. Otherwise, streaming links and music videos for singles will be posted. For an individual single to be discussed in full in this column, it must be released over one month in advance of an upcoming album, or be a standalone single.
Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Cult of Luna's music often evokes a lengthy, scenic journey - for their latest album, specifically in a rural, remote part of Sweden, according to frontman Johannes Persson. With that in mind, it makes sense that The Long Road North would come accompanied by an immersive grayscale game where the player navigates through a harsh landscape. If "Lights on The Hill" from 2019's A Dawn to Fear evoked reaching a scenic overlook, The Long Road North is akin to a trek in harsh weather through remote wilderness. Throughout the band's nine albums, lengthy compositions use repetition to create an atmosphere or build up slowly to a climax. Drummer Thomas Hedlund provides a backdrop of complex, progressive rhythms for the slow-burning, chugging riffs from Johannes Persson and Erik Olofsson. "Into the Night" and the instrumental “Full Moon” provide a melancholic respite in the middle. This atmospheric break is comparable to quieter Neurosis material with Johannes adopting a Scott Van Till style of singing. Similarly, the ambient “Beyond I” and “Beyond II” offer two variations on the same theme. One features lead vocals by guest singer Mariam Wallentin, while the other is an instrumental. Brooding, colossal tracks like the title track and “An Offering to the Wild” provide a cinematic scope. Cult of Luna has yet to release a bad album, and The Long Road North is a legitimate early AOTY contender.
Hollow Front - "Comatose"
I was introduced to Hollow Front with their 2020 debut full-length, Loose Threads, and took note of the band's potential while finding room for improvement. This track displays some growth in the songwriting department, and overall is a stronger display of their abilities. According to Tyler Tate, one of the band's two vocalists, "Comatose" is about battling depression, specifically during the midst of the pandemic, as well as anxiety over an uncertain future at the time. “Comatose” features a nice usage of backing clean vocals that mesh well with the low growls, rather than just following the expected clean chorus-unclean verse format. This Grand Rapids based metalcore band goes on tour with Fit For a King and Silent Planet this spring.
Venom Prison - Erebos
On Venom Prison's new album, frontwoman Larissa Stupar is as fierce and passionate as ever. Melodic guitar solos and powerful riffs from Ash Gray and Ben Thomas further augment her powerful delivery. The band’s use of elements of Greek mythology as metaphors for modern issues, particularly current criminal justice systems, is a recurring theme throughout Erebos. Songs like “Judges of the Underworld”, “Castigated in Steel and Concrete” and “Technologies of Death” all focus on incarceration or the death penalty, and the lyricism is a strong point. A comparison between Primeval (the band’s first two EPs reissued last year) which was straight-up death metal, and Erebos reveals a new direction for them. While still primarily death metal, Venom Prison ventures into new territory with this album. The most obvious departure is the excellent “Pain of Oizys”, alternately delicate and fiercely confident. This song about battling depression is the first Venom Prison track where Larissa’s clean singing takes center stage, and her singing reappears in a supporting role elsewhere on tracks like “Veil of Night”. On the other side of the spectrum, the closer “Technologies of Death” has Larissa adopting a raspy black metal style delivery, before the fury settles down for a melodic bridge. Towards the end of the song, Larissa leaves the listener on a hopeful note, “Somewhere deep inside/empathy is still alive.” Without a doubt, Venom Prison are poised to reach bigger audiences and garner attention here.
Ends Embrace - "Warhorse"/"Forgotten Ways"/"Voices of the Dead"
Up next is an underground one-man Navajo black metal project from Scottsdale, Arizona. Ends Embrace's three newest singles, two of which appear on a split EP called Thrall of the Winter Moon, show a marked progression in musicianship from We Will Never Die. Ryan Silas plays raw black metal with a bit of crust punk influence as well. The whinnies of a horse and a doomy, melodic guitar line set the backdrop for “Warhorse”, while "Forgotten Ways", which transitions into “Voices of the Dead”, reminds me of a lo-fi take on Downfall of Gaia. While I'm not normally into raw recorded black metal, Silas' affinity for punk, usage of minor key instrumentals, and anti-oppression message from an indigenous perspective give Ends Embrace a sense of individuality in the crowded underground black metal scene. The split EP is available as a pay-what-you-want download on Bandcamp if you like what you hear.
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
While this band currently has six albums in their discography, Where Myth Becomes Memory was my introduction to Rolo Tomassi, and a very good first impression at that. This is a well-paced progressive metal album with wide influences as disparate as mathcore and dream pop. The band, whose name is a reference to the film L.A. Confidential, is led by sister and brother duo Eva (lead vocals) and James Spence (keyboards, electronics and backing vocals). Where Myth Becomes Memory is very dynamic in sound, ranging from ethereal dream pop to a maelstrom of technical metal and throaty growls. Reminiscent of Spiritbox, the single “Cloaked” is a good overview of both sides of the Rolo Tomassi sound. Softer tracks like “Closer”, “Stumbling” and “The End of Eternity” tip the overall balance of Where Myth Becomes Memory in favor of atmosphere and elegance.
Graphic Nature - new skin
While Graphic Nature take their name from a Deftones song off the progressive alternative metal masterpiece Koi No Yokan, this young band's sound is clearly in the realm of hardcore, with some industrial and old school nu metal influence thrown in. Like their fellow British contemporaries Loathe, the band has listed instrumental video game soundtracks as an influence. This ruthless ten-minute EP wastes no time kicking the door down, and finishes the sonic destruction just as quickly. According to frontman Harvey Freeman, new skin represents Graphic Nature's core sound, and is thematically about the process of freeing yourself from self-hatred and toxicity. Each of these songs lasts about two and half minutes, and offers a quick cathartic release from negative emotions.
Other Notable Releases
Albums/EPs
Korn - Requiem (Feb 4, nu metal)
Windveill - There Inevitably Will Be Silence (Feb 4, atmospheric black metal/blackgaze)
Circa Survive - A Dream About Death EP (Feb 4, post-hardcore/alternative)
Vorga - Striving Towards Oblivion (Feb 4, black metal)
Thorn - Yawning Depths (Feb 4, death metal)
Hangman's Chair - A Loner (Feb 11, doom/heavy metal)
One month in and 2022 already has an impressive selection of material to cover.
Meshuggah - “The Abysmal Eye”
Widely credited as the forefathers of the djent movement, this influential Swedish technical death metal band just released their first new song in six years. Meshuggah is the kind of name whose music speaks for itself, and "The Abysmal Eye" is reliably aggressive, with a blistering guitar solo to boot. An April 1 release date has been set for their ninth album, Immutable. It's new Meshuggah, they deliver their signature sound, complete with off-kilter time signatures, and not much else needs to be added. The Swedes' technical sound occasionally experimented with avante-garde compositions, especially on the underrated Catch Thirtythree. The band may venture into a similar headspace on Immutable, which they summarized as "their wildest sonic adventure yet."
Loathe is currently working on a full length album to follow up their breakthrough 2020 project I Let It In and It Took Everything. This abstract, experimental track appears to be a stand-alone single. "Dimorphous Display" remained unreleased in demo form for a while before Loathe finished it last year. The song still maintains the spontaneous nature of a demo, as well as the spirit of a 1990s alternative track, much like I Let It In and It Took Everything deep cut "Screaming". Frontman Kadeem France's feral snarls interject at the just the right moments, countering the brooding clean singing that comprises most of the vocals. The sonic cacophony represents a raw expression and experimentation moreso than an indication of how their upcoming material will sound, so it’s still a question of where Loathe will go next. The sky's the limit for the Liverpool band's creativity. Don't forget that they had the boldness to put out an entirely ambient instrumental project the previous year.
Northlane - “Plenty”
Now an independent band, Northlane return to the signature cyber-djent style they perfected on 2019’s Alien. The third single from their upcoming April album Obsidian is dark and technical, forgoing the poppy nature of the previous two. A stunning vocal performance from Marcus Bridge alternates seething snarls with his impeccable clean singing on the chorus. Over an unorthodox time signature, "Plenty" contemplates the question of whether you would start your life over again if given the chance. It is by far my favorite of the three Obsidian singles. While the first two took a few listens to get on board with, I found myself loving "Plenty" almost immediately. While Northlane have received multiple ARIA awards in their home country of Australia, I still think they don't get enough credit for their ability to hybridize genres - and blend the old with the new - in a way that rivals crossover superstars Bring Me the Horizon. Northlane's recent material masterfully incorporates early 2000s influences (the first Celldweller and Linkin Park albums come to mind) within the context of a heavier, modern progressive metalcore sound. They are also one of the frontrunners in terms of promotion, writing a theme for a tactical video game esports league and launching the Worldeaters patreon this past year. With tracks like "Plenty" in the band's arsenal, Obsidian is on track to be one of the best heavy albums of 2022.
Wolves at the Gate - “Lights and Fire”
Wolves at the Gate got their start as an aggressive, fervent post-hardcore band with a dichotomy of light and dark, tension and release, screamed and clean vocals. That duality was in full force on the band's debut full-length Captors, one of the finest metalcore releases of the 2010s. Every track on that album, including the heaviest ("Amnesty") and the softest ("Safeguards" and "Man of Sorrows") incorporated both aspects of their identity. In contrast, "Lights & Fire" is an entirely melodic rock track that exhibits Wolves at the Gate at their most accessible, and in fact has been receiving some attention from satellite rock radio station SiriusXM Octane. There are no screamed vocals here, which is rare for a non-acoustic Wolves at the Gate track. What hasn't changed is the band's love of Thrice, and their creative interpretation of that influence continues to take on new forms. The lyrics are also evocative, as vocalist Steve Cobucci sings about about a moment of clarity that came with the realization that he was holding on to something self-destructive. While upcoming album Eulogies is unlikely to top their first three, this is a strong single that proves "radio-friendly" doesn't always mean stale.
Absent in Body - "The Acres/The Ache"
Composed of Neurosis vocalist/guitarist (and frequent Mastodon collaborator) Scott Kelly, former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, and two members of Belgian doom metal group Amenra (Colin Eeckhout and Mathieu Vandekerckhove), Absent in Body has proven to be a formidable metal supergroup. The first released song from their upcoming five-track album Plague God is powerful and surprisingly dynamic.Starting with a measured drum cadence over an ominous hum, "The Acres/The Ache" descends into Stygian depths with Igor Cavalera's echoing percussion evoking a dark underground dungeon. This crushing sludge metal onslaught suddenly gives way to atmospheric post rock halfway through. Around the four minute mark, a slow melodic guitar line breaks through the gloom, and ghostly clean vocals follow. The dark, cavernous atmosphere returns in the end, capping off an otherworldly eight and a half minute journey. This song proves to be an intriguing start to a promising collaborative project.
Erra - “Nigh to Silence”
This new track was recorded last year for a special edition of Erra's self-titled album. "Nigh to Silence" starts off sounding like a track from Jesse Cash's Ghost Atlas project, before incorporating previous eras of Erra into one song. "Nigh to Silence" is a song about loneliness, which Jesse described as "set on an empty earth observed by the moon." As proven before, the band's lyricism continues to stand out, with lines like "wolves of ash, howling in a present past" and "walking in the shadow of my own ghost" vividly describing a cold solitude. Simultaneously emotive and pummeling, "Nigh to Silence" displays Erra's mastery at progressive metalcore.
Fit for an Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds
While rooted in deathcore, Fit For an Autopsy have always worn their Gojira influence on their sleeve. This is most notable in "Far From Heaven," with a memorable guitar rhythm and chorus hearkening back to Gojira's album L'Enfant Sauvage. Produced and written by guitarist Will Putney, Oh What the Future Holds spans a spectrum of heavy music that incorporates more subtle influences. Whereas some deathcore records follow the same formula for every song on the album, Fit For an Autopsy make a clear creative choice to branch out. Of special note are the contemplative, melodic "Two Towers" and "The Man That I Was Not", spaced apart as tracks 5 and 10 respectively, which venture into progressive metal. Elsewhere, straightforward deathcore cuts like "Collateral Damage" are absolutely relentless. As one of several albums released by prominent deathcore bands on the same day (January 14), this held its own against some competition.
Underoath - Vouyerist
Underoath have left a lasting legacy over the years. The band's sound has always been distinct and recognizable, particularly since Spencer Chamblerlain came into the fold, but the Florida metalcore stalwarts never made the same record twice. Nothing will top ø (disambiguation) for me (one of my favorite albums of all time), but Underoath's latest project is very solid. The self-production has a heavy, sludgy tone that works well for the bleak mood of the album, especially on the experimental closer "Pneumonia". The two-track sequence of ambient Sleepwave-esque interlude "(no oasis)" and fierce post-hardcore dichotomy on "Take a Breath" is the finest moment on Vouyerist. The only aspect that might prevent me from listening to this album more throughout the year is its relentlessly bleak and futile lyrical tone. I can certainly relate to the Ghostemane-featured "Cycle" as it echoes the frustrated inner dialogue when my mind is on a negative spiral, but it's not a headspace I want to succumb to or remain in for long. However, that brutal honesty also works in the favor of an album this cathartic and furious in sound. Vouyerist leaves no doubt that Underoath still has new avenues to explore.
Silent Planet's frontman Garrett Russell has never been one to shy away from the subject of mental health. He lives with bipolar depression and anxiety, and has been very open about his diagnosis in several interviews. The band's second album Everything Was Sound has an entire meta-narrative about mental illness, informed by Garrett's master's degree in clinical psychology and internship as a college counselor. However, his own struggle with mental illness would soon inform the band's music in a rawer, more painful way. In November 2019, Garrett attempted to take his life while suffering a scary mental breakdown in Belgium in between shows on a European tour. Shortly after, he checked himself into a psychological rehabilitation facility for a month. Hospitalized and at the lowest point of his life, with the band's future in doubt, he tried to make sense of the broken pieces. That traumatic 24 hour span and the resulting psychogenic struggle shaped Iridescent, the band's fourth album. In Garrett's capable hands, lyrics about living with a stigmatized mental health condition are written with a rare depth, care, and raw honesty.
Iridescent is visceral in sound. Like “Native Blood”, which I wrote about previously, the intensity of the lyrics is matched by the music. Throughout, Alexrene Camarena's relentless percussion and Mitchell Stark's fast technical fretwork keep
pace with Garrett's rapid-fire vocal delivery. Atmospheric passages
both melodic (the ending of "Second Sun") and ominous ("liminal") weave
in and out. Bassist Thomas Freckleton has traditionally handled almost
all of the clean singing, but on here the duties are much more spread
out, which adds further to the unpredictability. The opening tracks "112" and "Translate the Night" convey a dissonant, eerie atmosphere on the same level asLoathe, while the aggressive industrial-laced djent of "Anhedonia" and "Panopticon" echoes Northlane's recent forays on Alien. The emotive "Second Sun" and "Terminal" counter the chaos. On tracks like "The Sound of Sleep", this album is also reminiscent of Underoath's Ø (Disambiguation)(Garrett's favorite Underoath album as well as mine). Like that landmark album, Iridescent reflects its dark sound with desperate, soul-searching lyrics.
Whether intensely personal or discussing broader overarching issues, every track on Iridescent conceptually fits into place. "Trilogy", initially a standalone single on February 2020, was penned in one session by Garrett during his hospitalization. The band finished and recorded the song shortly after he was released. In it, he expresses a longing to heal and feel human again amidst the cyclic, clockwork structure of life in a mental facility. The sole break from the chaos is when Thomas enters on the chorus, singing "Be still and human." This frantic, fast-paced song encapsulates the manic state, as he screams about static in his head before the sound dissolves into distortion in the final seconds. Iridescent's second single "Panopticon", named for an observation tower centralized within a circle of prison cells, alludes to a concept introduced on Everything Was Sound. In an in-depth 2016 interview, Garrett explained how the panopticon on that album represents "the stigmatization of mental health and the way that we understand disorders", with the prisoner of each cell representing a different mental illness. At the end, the prison is destroyed. The track "Panopticon" has no guitars at all - just bass, drums, and electronics - and takes this concept in a more dystopian direction ("They see all but we see one/Shut down the system/Burn away the veil/What waits? A face behind a face behind a face"). The buzz of the bass strings is audible as Thomas’ low-end crunch provides the ideal backdrop. Lyrics allude to addiction to technology and screens, something Garrett was experiencing in an unhealthy way prior to the November tour.
On a similar note, the furious "Alive, As a Housefire" rages against the dehumanizing, machine-like nature of unjust systems. Written during the June 2020 protests, it lyrically parallels "No Place to Breathe" as both tracks reference police violence against African Americans and generational trauma ("Cold as the empire that stole away your breath... and long as the history they poured inside your chest"). "Alive, As a Housefire" notes how it often takes a drastic event to recognize corruption ("We hide in the guise of benevolence until the system burns"). While this track is obviously about brokenness on a large scale, its catharsis and anger make its inclusion on Iridescent ideal. Fire is also referenced multiple times throughout the album, including "Terminal" ("Burn the forest for the splinters"), "The Sound of Sleep" ("Bastard sun/you'll burn alone"), and "Anhedonia" ("Lost inside a fevered dream/Set fire to the forgery"). The latter track specifically addresses the devastating fires that occurred in northern California, not far from Garrett's hometown of Redding. "Anhedonia" takes its title from the depression and numbness he felt for a while afterwards, unable to take pleasure in things he normally enjoyed.
While Garrett's mental health struggle has been referenced on previous Silent
Planet material, Iridescent is more akin to a trip into his own psyche in metalcore form.The beautiful, haunting "Terminal" reflects raw desperation with nothing lost in translation. This song is dominated by disassociated sounding clean vocals
(sung by Garrett and guitarist Mitchell) floating over dissonant guitar riffs. The ghostly, detached atmosphere echoes Garrett's shift from reality as he took mind-altering medications in the hospital. He wonders if the anesthetizing, mood stabilizing drugs are only masking the hopelessness and brokenness he feels. The way he tentatively sings, "The hourglass is vacant/Sand turns to medication/You can fill me but I'll never be full/I'm slipping to sedation/The seconds are contagious/Can you tell me if I'm terminal?" is beautiful and heart-wrenching. Every lyric reflects this existential and spiritual tumult as he underwent treatment. During the months leading up to Garrett's mental breakdown, severe depression, anxiety
and fear of failure (often centered around losing his voice) weighed
heavily on him. "The Sound of Sleep" is about his insomnia leading up to his mental collapse. As a central symptom of bipolar disorder, disturbance in sleep cycles is very frequent during manic episodes. Garrett's thoughts of lying awake at night ("I learned to forget how to lose myself in a dream until I sink/I learned to forget the intervals of syllables that sound like sleep") tell just how routine his sleeplessness has become. Alex’s drumming is standout here, as he lays down an ominous rhythm.
Garrett's lyrics contain many attachment themes of self-worth, despair, and
questions of brokenness. In his words, "This album, for me, was the first time that I allowed myself the
space to look at my demons long enough to give them names and try and
describe their faces." Iridescent doesn't conclude with easy answers or a neat resolution, allowing room for a present ambiguity. To do so on an album this unflinchingly honest would be disingenuous. However, a few rays of light and faith remain present. Most notable is the penultimate song "Till We Have Faces", which takes its title from a C.S. Lewis novel. Metanoia, a term in Christian theology meaning spiritual transformation and repentance, is referenced in the lyrics. In the midst of instability, he finds grace within the darkest depths ("Laying inside the lowland, I bowed within the reeds/I gave myself to consequence when grace devoured me"). "Second Sun" echoes faith in the divine presence in the closing line, "Every turn returns to You." In the midst of self-doubt and guilt, the grace and support Garrett received from the band and community ensured that those 24 hours wouldn't mark the end of Silent Planet. The Night God Slept's opening song "The Well", is also interpolated: "Hold us together when the fear tears us apart/Lovers, forever, you are the answer to the dark". The closing title track, a tribute to Garrett's dog Birdie who passed away that year, contains glimpses of eternity in the midst of a farewell - where all that is broken will be made new again.
Silent Planet's Iridescent deals with mental health in a more personal and painful way than their previous material, and the entire band handles this concept to perfection. I wish all the best for Garrett and his bandmates going forward and hope he can find a space of peace, recovery, and happiness. Simultaneously volatile and introspective, Iridescent is well deserving of a 10/10 score. I'll leave you with a link to a 2020 interview between Garrett and former Sleeping Giant vocalist Tommy Green. While difficult to listen to (be aware that it contains detailed discussion of medication, mental illness and suicide attempts), ultimately grace, hope and resilience is present in the midst of darkness, much like Iridescent itself. There is a beautiful prayer at the end that speaks of how every broken piece is gathered and not one lost. If you are going through any of the struggles described here, please never be afraid to seek the help and support you need, wherever that help may be for you. Lovers forever. Birdie forever.
