Silent Planet, named after the first installment of C.S. Lewis’ creatively titled Space trilogy, has always been a lyrical triumph and the pinnacle of metalcore consistency throughout the quartet’s four-album run. With the relentless vulnerability and desperation of The Night God Slept and Everything Was Sound, the regality of When the End Began, and the experimental textures of Iridescent, you could always expect technicality and atmosphere balanced throughout. Atmosphere now is the star of the show in the fifth full-length Superbloom, with technicality taking a backseat, an uneasy but ultimately flourishing aura haloing each track. Is it worth the trip to see the alien colors and burn the flowers down just to see the desert’s fleeting beauty?
Perhaps a defining instance in the creation of Superbloom is that it is released exactly one year after a car accident that injured all four members of Silent Planet. It reflects the growth and recovery, coming from tragedy with sonic color unseen in previous offerings, if not hinted at in Iridescent. Ultimately, the post-rock and ambient soundscapes that arise like extraterrestrial cancers offer a glimpse of other dimensions, but much to my chagrin, it is largely the only barrier between Silent Planet and mediocrity. Synth is a heavier presence within the act’s fifth full-length, alongside crushing djent-adjacent breakdowns and Garrett Russell’s desperate screams and hushed cleans. While unique, Superbloom is ultimately a step down from the band’s storied catalog and a toe dipped into the cesspool of metalcore’s multitude.
That’s not to say that Superbloom won’t get your head moving. The best Silent Planet offers is a potent alliance of crushing and atmospheric. This leads to two specific interpretations: the more atmospheric tracks like “Antimatter” and the title track, and the heavier beatdowns of “Signal” and “Annunaki.” The former utilizes Russell’s hushed and understated cleans alongside passages of mechanized beats and otherworldly synth with a pitch bend that borders on dissonant, adding greater emphasis to the absolutely mammoth breakdowns, built further by heart-wrenching lyrics. The latter interpretation embraces the manic, introducing spanking riffs right from the jump that throttle the ears with synth flourishes that stand in place of wildly technical guitar fills. “Collider” and “Dreamwalker” utilize more of Mitchell Stark’s guitar prowess in wonky leads and djenty rhythms, while his synth trills add to the alien atmosphere. The guitar tone is firmly rooted in djent, with its low-end carrying the weight like a ton of bricks; it stands as a welcome dichotomy to the dreamy electronic presence.
Unfortunately for Silent Planet, the use of synth and electronics in metalcore and djent is far from unique. It’s borderline tragic that their unique usage of pitch bends and unique flourishes is largely the only thread keeping the quartet from freefall into the -core abyss. “Euphoria” and “Nexus” are uncannily indicative of this, with choppy angry verses paving the way for dreamy post-hardcore choruses, a formula that feels ripped straight out of The World Alive or Motionless in White in 2011 that you heard in a Hot Topic one time. Furthermore, “The Overgrowth” does little to separate itself from pure djent abuse that recalls this year’s Mask of Prospero or recent Vildhjarta – it’s just three-ish minutes of downtuned slightly off-kilter sprawls. In this way, while the aforementioned tracks are a well-done and convincing collision of generic electronic metalcore and generic djent, the majority of Superbloom feels firmly settled into either tragic camp. Furthermore, intro “Lights of the Lost Coast” and instrumental “Reentry” do well in establishing and reinforcing the mood, but offer little else, especially the latter building up for the anti-climax and slow-burning crescendo of the closing title track. Ultimately, while many of the trademark lyrics still make the case for Silent Planet’s effectiveness, the act’s newfound fusion foregoes their mind-blowing technicality for accessibility – easy to see as “selling out.”
Silent Planet’s catalog has long stood with bands like August Burns Red, Invent Animate, and Erra as the torchbearers of a new and better era of metalcore. That’s what makes Superbloom much more frustrating, that its tortured and soul-searching blend of technicality and heart is cast aside for a more atmospheric presence. While sounding okay on paper, this lends itself to less theatrics and more breakdowns, a dilemma unneeded to keep the scene relevant. While it certainly has its moments, Superbloom finds Silent Planet between a metalcore rock and a djent hard place, a dilemma that hardly seems necessary given their historically unique sound. Just like the superbloom phenomenon, it’s a fleeting parable of empty pursuit.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Solid State Records
Websites: silentplanetmerch.com | facebook.com/silentplanetmusic
Releases Worldwide: November 3rd, 2023
