California quartet Silent Planet is known for their unique take on metalcore that continues to lead them to victory, earning them respect and fans from all over the metal spectrum. Their enticing, story-like method of songwriting is what sets them apart from their peers. When vocalist Garrett Russell delivers the lyrics, he does more than just perform a song – he vividly and theatrically illustrates the sinister world that embodies Silent Planet, all while the instrumentals set the stage for every scene, brewing build-up, thunderous climax, and desolate aftermath.
The band’s new album SUPERBLOOM (Solid State Records) pushes the boundaries of what they can achieve with this method.
While Silent Planet’s brand of metal has always used a dynamic approach, songs like “Antimatter” take this distinctive strategy to new territories. Stuttering industrial effects explode into dooming chugs with eerie synth swells filling in the gaps. This coalesces into a groove that could be the soundtrack for an apocalyptic mosh party, with the catchy ruckus of “Collider” and anthemic “Dreamwalker” in the queue to take over next.
Surprisingly, this only scratches the surface of what the following track “Signal” is about to hurl through your ears. Distorted, swirling robotic voices send off a thumping, screeching slew of riffing chaos that takes the sharpest, most sudden turns while Russell somehow manages to deliver vocal lines that follow the turbulence. Futuristic themes accentuate the madness tenfold until a bleak ambient soundscape takes over, setting up for an eruptive pay-off into the final breakdown. Just when you think you’ve heard every element of the song, it ends with a seamless combination of spine-chilling sustained screams and muffled shoegaze-y cleans.
The closing title track wraps up the album with melodic soft rock that slowly develops into booming post-rock textures and an evocative narration Russell screams from the rooftops. The final lyrics, “You can tell it to the world, we won’t be found, we’ve become one with the sound” hit even harder upon the realization they were written about the band’s near-death experience in a Wyoming snowstorm vehicle accident. As if the picturesque storytelling of Silent Planet wasn’t already moving enough, the context confirms that their signature quirks aren’t just a gimmick – but rather a genuine, fully credible outlook transcribed into sonic masterpieces.
With SUPERBLOOM, Silent Planet have outdone themselves. This album is a brilliant demonstration of how electronic and industrial elements can multiply heaviness and breakdowns rather than water them down. Brought to a new standard through bold risks executed better than any metalcore purist could have imagined, Silent Planet is not a band to sleep on.
Buy the album here:
https://silentplanet.ffm.to/superbloom
9 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY