Review Summary: Tell Me It's Not The Truth, I Mean Nothing To You
156/Silence are one of the brightest young bands in the metalcore scene combining elements of traditional 2000’s metalcore, the vocal passion and fury of 2000’s post hardcore and dense, visceral storytelling that borders on pure poetry. The song titles for the record when read in order display a short poem initiating the content for which you’ll be subjected to for forty minutes. It’s a dense, meaty package of music that unfolds slowly through big riffs, crushing breakdowns and nuanced slower passages that create a haunting tension to looms over the entirety of the album. While the instrumentals are always energetic and complex, they are exacerbated by the lyricism that vocalist Jack Murray pens with moody, depressing and honest glimpses into personal trauma, anxieties and self-loathing.
The moment you press play, you are embraced by darkness. The opening track “A Past Embrace” features quintessential metalcore riffs and chaotic pulsating rhythms which are coupled with somber lyrics such as “I'll wash my hands of all these indecent wrongs to pretend I'm not just awfully made of flaws/This detesting is all I have ever deserved and I won't ascend to/God or his ***ing doves.” Each song explores these themes with deeper conviction but what sells all the talk is the walk, in normal terms, the vocal delivery which consists mostly of Jack’s yell/scream approach which feels coarse and tortured while still having a good tone. The vocal timbre complements the grimy, raw production of the record and the chaotic instrumental approach.
The record proceeds with the intense and violent “The Rodent’s Race” which features some of the most brutal riffs and breakdowns on the record and the most disgustingly vicious lyrics, “I want your blood/I want your ***ing head on a log, I want you gone/I won't give up until you're suffering on.” The suffering continues with “Another Loss” which continues the more violent approach to the lyricism, but the album really starts to increase the boiling temperature with the single “For All To Blame” which has some of the best guitar work and overall songwriting on the album. Lots of cascading highs and brutal lows, constantly digging further into the negativity in which Jack writes from.
Regarding a majority of the album, it does follow the theme pretty consistently in terms of lyricism and musically it does have a similar vibe from having those big aggressive distorted riffs that stop and start with piercing feedback jutting through the speakers and pulsating drum patterns. However, the maneuverability of these elements is what strengthens this record. It’s unpredictable even though the elements are recognizable when they do come to fruition; it essentially keeps you on your toes by surprising you with things that you’ll love. “To Take Your Place” is a great example of this because it has a really nasty riff but the course of the song never seems plotted and weaves in and out of insanity. To add to the original sentiment of this paragraph, there are moments of quiet with clean guitars plucking insidious melodies and softer vocal passages but instead of offering relief from the chaos, it offers a sense of dread and doom for what’s to come. It’s unique because generally a metalcore band will use these breaks to create an ethereal space or offer a moment of calm to lead into a chorus or bridge but 156/Silence just wants us to feel dirty listening to this record from front to back.
A couple highlights occur during the second half of the record in the songs “Stay Away” which is gorgeous in it’s dynamics, “Say Phrase” which has a beautiful emotionally draining climax following a tense quiet build up and of course the massive closer “Live to See a Darker Day” which is the perfect conclusion to this masterpiece. The slow build-up approach to the song offers a bit of variety to the record which often goes straight for the punch and ends in true chaos. “Live To See a Darker Day” winds through its emotional tale with gloomy sentiments such as “So be still/Have a seat with me and take this pill of happiness/The sky won't open up unless your smile has escaped your lips.” It’s almost a heartbreaking record with its heartfelt pleas for death and destruction but it communicates these emotions in such a way that its relatable and palatable for the average listener.
This is a very haunting experience but rewarding if it’s given the time to unravel in your midst’s. I recommend having the lyrics with you when listening because it really does heighten the experience to really be able to understand the vulnerability of these stories of woe. It’s an easy recommend to those who love metalcore and storytelling.
Highlights:
“A Past Embrace”
“The Rodent’s Race”
“To Take Your Place”
“Stay Away”
“Live To See a Darker Day”
