Review Summary: A potent debut.
Cliffside are a Christian metalcore trio hailing from Vancouver. Comprised of vocalist Taylor Thomas, guitarist and vocalist Joel Issler and bassist Ben Davis, their drumming is also performed and programmed by Issler alongside Stasis drummer Cliff Aubut.
Deeper Water is their full-length studio debut and their first recorded material since their 2019 EP
The Wilderness, which is referenced in some of this album's lyrical content. If this album is an indication of how talented and technically proficient these guys are, then they should be poised to join the likes of Counterparts, Code Orange and Jesus Piece as one of the major powers in the modern metalcore revival wave.
Akin to a band like Counterparts, Cliffside stay almost confidently siloed into a consistent creative prism, though they incorporate clean vocals not yet seen from the former band. They employ a sludgy, rudimentary take on the metalcore genre, though are progressive in a literal sense that they display where, perhaps, the genre could go if it completely jettisoned the glossy pop appeal of many of the genre's A-list names. That's not to say that Thomas and Issler don't have solid singing voices, though. On early third banger "Endless Wells", Issler utilizes vocal layering and crisp production to deliver a fairly pretty melody on the chorus. Elsewhere, Thomas is throwing out throaty gutturals and mid-register screams on tracks such "Tides of Time" and the punishing opener "Horizon."
Lyrically, Cliffside can come off as somewhat despondent. On late-stage romp "Glacial", Thomas bemoans wanting to be "set free", his palatial cleans complementing the cascading barrage of glassy, shimmering guitars. On "The Distance", an underscored optimism is more present. "Lost hearts have been found, what was blind can now see," Thomas exclaims on the outro. The album runs for about forty-four and a half minutes, and in a grab bag of breakdowns, this track has probably the most thrilling one, and it effortlessly crashes into an equally pulsating guitar solo. On "Greyscale", Issler's elastic riffs become even more stratospheric on a fantastic solo-led bridge.
Every song is a breakneck jaunt with arduous instrumentals and nominally bright clean vocals that add a glimmer of sunlight to the often jaded atmosphere. Perhaps the formula is repetitive, but you can't fix what isn't broken. Issler's guitar work is a constant highlight; when he's not chugging along with the rest of what's going on, he's unleashing a barrage of frenetic and adroit riffs. Cliffside are a young band, but
Deeper Water should give listeners plenty of reason to keep an eye out for them. They will be a band to watch in the genre going forward. Cliffside seem poised to really break out, and perhaps this will garner the momentum they need. I'm excited to see what happens.
