Review Summary: In dreams I watched you die, Now I can't wait to close my eyes.
My dog died two days before Christmas. My wife kicked me out of my house after 10 years and 2 kids. But Counterparts released this album so 2022 was an ok year in the end – apart from my dog that will never be ok.
‘Classic’ or ‘Perfect’ albums are very hard to explain as to why they are considered such. Classic/Perfect are pretty ***ty words anyway because music is so subjective. In this case, I can without a doubt say this IS a PERFECT album. It’s not just the amazing riffing and guitar work from Alex and Jesse (what a combo they are BTW), it’s not the very solid emotive vocal performance of Brendan (even Alex doesn’t overstay his welcome here with some cleans) that has made this perfect. It’s the sheer weight of Emotion that comes over me when I listen to every single track.
The album is a deep dive into Death and what it all means. Be it the one dying, or those left behind what does it all mean and how do we cope with losing something we love. In this case for Brendan, it was Kuma who I imagined inspired a majority of the album. So, to me this album is about the loss of a pet more than the loss of a person. Now hear me out, people are great (not really). I love my parents and my kids to no end – but there’s something about a pet that hits different. In my case, losing my dog I lost my best friend who essentially was the first child I ever had. Because of this ‘Whispers Of Your Death’ is a masterpiece that I can barely get through without tears in my eyes.
The riffing throughout the album is amazing and combined with the intricate melodic lead lines, an Instrumental release is a must in my opinion. Brendan’s performance on the record is just as magical and desperate as he has ever sounded and honestly his lyric work has peaked here (IMO). The title track actually features some nice clean vocals from Alex who has come into his own vocally and I think he actually compliments Brendan here nicely– ‘Skin Beneath A Scar’ is a perfect example here.
I don’t have a single track that I can say is the best on the album or stand out – gun to my head either ‘Whispers Of Your Death’ or ‘Unwavering Vow’ purely because of what they mean to me.
This album needs to be listened to as a whole to appreciate what Counterparts have created.
