156/Silence release their latest album on the 13th of September and this one caught me completely by surprise, I saw metalcore and thought ok this should be the usual fare but my god was I wrong; yes it’s metalcore but with a darker, harsher vibe which works well with the contrasting atmospheric ambience that runs throughout the album.
“Character Development(Cold Start)” gets things underway with its cool groovy riff that is the backbone of the track which is never overshadowed by the craziness that goes on around it; harsh and screaming vocals are backed up by a frantic drum beat and thumping bass line to giving you a relentless opener. Hot on its heels is “Target Acquired”; its siren at the start is a warning of what is to come, another brutal assault on the senses as Murray screams and roars his way through the song with a maelstrom whipped up by the blistering drum beat and guitar riffs that will rip you in two, it drops off towards the backend of the track with a spoken near pleading style vocal with atmospheric keys before it all descends into chaos at the outro.
“Sleep Spike” is the first of two interludes on the album, the other being “Intravenous” which gives you a slight reprieve to catch your breath. “Better Written Villain” returns us to normal programming with a savage track, starting off with Murray singing cleanly over guitarist Wilkinson’s understated harsh vocals before he ramps up the intensity tenfold with his screaming vocals, the rest of the band follows his lead and similarly turn it up to ten with a massive wall of sound, it hits a melodic side mid-way through as Murray show his versatility once more with his crooning abilities before switching it back up as the track closes, one of the best ones on the album. “Product Placement” keeps to the more traditional metalcore style with soaring vocals interspersed with the harsh style, more melodic than previous tracks but still heavy as hell, this is a fantastic track with great riffs and a drum and bass beat that rocks big-time. The electronic stylings of “Blood Loss” is a bit out of the blue and with Murray’s very subdued spoken word vocals there seems to be a more melancholic feel to it until Carson Pace throws his weight behind the track and it all goes off before dropping back as it comes to a close. “Wants I Need” picks up where the previous track left off with a slow spoken intro before Craig Owens, lending his vocal talents, comes roaring in and the track goes off from there with thumping drums and cutting riffs, there is also a subtle keyboard piece that plays in the background that adds an extra dimension, a good all-round track.
After a short intro “Funeral Arrangements” comes roaring into life with Murray spitting out lyrics like mad, there is a bouncing rhythm to the track that creates a crazy groove and although it sounds like a contradiction, as the track is heavy as hell, but it’s not, it gives the track the kick that it needs and is one of the best on the album. Ripping you a new one is “Unreasonable Doubt”; the sonic assault from the outset will leave you floored, Murray lets fly with all the aggression he can muster to a backdrop of a booming bass line, killer riffs and an incessant drum beat, a violent slap in the face if ever there was. The title track “People Watching” is for all intents and purposes an instrumental interlude but with Murray coming in at the end with spoken vocals. The screamed opening to “Change Agent” should give you an insight as to what’s to come as both Murray and Wilkinson trade off vocally all to a symphony of destruction which is added to when Trae Roberts throws his hat in the ring at the end of the track, another monster tune. “Terms And Conditions” chugs into life with heavy bass and guitar riffs as Murray comes in at his caustic best screaming and roaring his way through, the track builds in intensity as it becomes more frantic only for it to drop suddenly into an atmospheric electro break with Murray singing cleanly, as the track closes Wilkinson comes in with his harsh vocals underneath Murray’s clean ones, a great track. The album finishes with “Healing Process(Leave Of Absence)”; a soft lulling intro gives way to a beast of a track that is an amalgamation of everything that has come before, crunching riffs, blistering drums and bass with clean and screamed vocals and some great electro breakdowns, a crushing way to close the album.
“People Watching” is out Friday the 13th of September via Sharptone Records
Review: Conor
Tracklist:
1. Character Development (Cold Start) 3:21
2. Target Acquired 4:18
3. Sleep Spikes 1:19
4. Better Written Villain 3:43
5. Product Placement 3:23
6. Blood Loss (ft. Carson Pace) 3:29
7. Wants I Need (ft. Craig Owens) 4:19
8. Funeral Arrangements 3:59
9. Unreasonable Doubt 3:04
10. People Watching 1:52
11. Change Agent (ft. Trae Roberts) 2:55 12. Intravenous 0:57
13. Terms and Conditions 3:59
14. Healing Process (Leave of Absence) 5:52
156/Silence are:
Jack Murray Vocals
Jimmy Howell Guitar
Ryan Wilkinson Guitar/vocals
Lukas Booker Bass
Kyle O’Connell Drums