New Music Report – Jan 24, 2020

New Albums

Silent Planet – Guys, this band is incredible. They’re so god damn good. I really cannot say enough good things about Silent Planet. Not only are they one of the most talented, unique, and powerful bands in metalcore right now, they’re also the most wholesome dudes in the world and absolutely deserve everyone’s support. This is a re-recorded version of their absolute masterpiece of a first record, and I honestly thought they couldn’t improve upon that, but here we are. Listen to this album.

Caspian – Caspian is one of the landmark bands of post rock, and this (personally) highly anticipated album is their first since 2015’s Dust & Disquiet, which was really nothing short of a masterpiece. But for those that find it, this is a fantastic album and was absolutely worth the wait. Much like what we’ve come to expect from Caspian, it’s absolutely packed full of emotionally dense, complex, and dynamic songs that take the listen on an incredible journey. It’s been a long five years, but it was certainly worth the wait.

Novelists FR – Not gonna lie, these guys lost me with their latest single, but man, this album is good. Trending more towards a post hardcore sound with this one, they’ve done a really great job of combining melodic, clean vocals with some super technical riffs and heavy breakdowns. Very dynamically diverse, definitely worth a listen.

 

Singles

Invent, Animate – Objectively, these guys are very good, but I’ve always felt I should enjoy this band more than I do. They’re technically incredible, but for a few reasons they failed to have that special something that makes a band stand out to me. This single hits super hard though, I have hope that this new album can help me change my mind.

Monuments – Insanely talented progressive metalcore band. Great vocals with incredible range and a very catchy chorus; the new vocalist is fitting in nicely. I’m looking forward to more from them, but in the meantime,  this is definitely worth checking out.

The Word Alive – Unfortunately, these guys have gotten a little bit stale. Verses are a bit low effort and too much emphasis is put on the chorus. They’re definitely heading into a more alt-rock/post hardcore direction. Super meh, I miss old TWA.