Genre : Metalcore
Released : November 12th, 2021
Label : Solid State Records
FFO : Underoath, Northlane, Dayseeker, Architects
I feel like I need to preface this review by saying that my bond with this band is kind of special since I spent almost the entirety of my last year in university researching and writing to complete my master's memoir paper entitled : "Music, Literature and Confinement : How Silent Planet use metalcore to escape the confinements of the human condition".
Silent Planet is undoubtedly the band I have analysed and researched the most, since there is so much to unpack in both Garrett Russell's style of writing and their dedication to conceptuality that is reflected in the way their music is structured.
From liberation theology ideologism, retellings of tragic historical events from the point of view of real individuals forgotten by the same history that buried them, socio-political commentary, exploring the different ways in which mental illness can exist and restrain us, to putting into perspective the way in which different groups of people approach faith and how faith has been interconnected with violence through time... Silent Planet have always offered a distinctive, extremely cerebral approach to metalcore through a poetic style of writing, brimming with literary and biblical quotations that invite the listener to reflect on the plethora of heavy subjects the band chooses to approach and bring to life through their raw performances, technical metalcore and usage of silence and ambiant textures of synthesizers and guitars.
Which is why (and it genuinely pains me to say it) I can't help but feel underwhelmed by the band's decision to put their more scholarly approach (which set them apart from the rest of the scene) to the side in favour of a more direct and blunt style which capitalizes on crafting catchy choruses and heavier-than-usual riffs.
I can understand the decision to have more of a focus on personal experiences instead of telling the stories of others without a voice of their own and conveying these experiences in a more relatable and direct manner that is not interwoven with dozens of literary or historical references per song.
However, hearing Garrett vehemently yell "Fuck the system" over and over again when that is exactly what Silent Planet have been proclaiming since the start of their career over their trilogy of albums in the most clever, instructive, thought-provoking and well-worded way felt like such a massive blow which leaves a lingering bitter aftertaste on top of being frankly quite cringe-worthy.
Musically, "Iridescent" presents Silent Planet at their heaviest yet, with a strong emphasis on electronics that give a sense of added drama to the narrative of these songs with the cinematic ambiences these synths and booming bass hits create.
Riff-wise, this is probably one of the beefiest and chuggiest albums the band has ever put out and the vocal performances have never sounded better.
Garrett's lower range simply sounds monstrous here and these instances that put the spotlight on the power of his growls (e.g:"Translate the Night", "Trilogy") feel quite gratifying and offer some of the gnarliest moments in the band's entire discography.
Bassist Thomas Freckleton displays a major step-up on "Iridescent" when it comes to his high-pitched clean vocals, which sound much more confident and far less strained than they used to, and we also have guitarist Mitchell Stark adding his own clean vocals to select tracks ("Terminal") which is a welcome addition.
However, on the other hand I feel like the band has also never sounded or felt more formulaic than on "Iridescent", to a point where the song structures rapidly become quite predictable.
I truly can't help but feel as though the departure from their previous lyrical style plays a big part in making them sound more similar to other modern metalcore acts (for instance "Till We Have Faces" sounds like something Architects could have written, add to that some strong similarities in songwriting with the latest iterations of Northlane and Underoath) and less like what Silent Planet had built their sound to be so far.
The closing, title-track is perhaps what comes closest to that distinguishable Silent Planet style with the addition of some guitar and electronic experimentations all the while distantly referencing their 2016 album "Everything Was Sound".
The different approach to guitar coupled with the heavy emphasis on electronics definitely offers some interesting and noteworthy moments, but for me personally, it's just not enough to compensate for the lyrical downgrade this album suffers from in my opinion.
Now, although not up to par lyrically with its predecessors, as far as I'm concerned, "Iridescent" is still a cut above the rest in that regards within the genre.
As such, it definitely isn't a bad album by any means and in fact, it can easily be part of the best metalcore to come out this year.
However, I do consider it to be a barely-average and underwhelming Silent Planet record, given the insanely high standards this band had set for me.
I also feel like, the more invested, and inspired by a band (on so many different fronts) I am; Unavoidably, the harsher my words will be.
I will try to come back to this album now and then, and hopefully enjoy it from a different perspective in the future. But as of now, it pains me to speak ill of a band whom I thought could do no wrong, yet I'm afraid this is how I feel about "Iridescent" as of now.
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