Review Summary: A creative but uneven ride — noisy, chaotic, and occasionally brilliant.
I See Stars are back for their fourth attempt at reinventing The Wheel (pun fully intended). The band’s signature blend of EDM-infused metalcore has been dismantled and reassembled into something louder, dirtier, and more chaotic — a cyber-industrial storm laced with distortion, mechanical beats, and Beastie Boys-style shouts that hit like a sugar rush gone wrong.
It’s bold. It’s brash. It’s… a lot.
The Michigan crew have never shied away from experimenting, but here they dive headfirst into the digital noise, replacing their glossy EDM sheen with clashing samples, serrated guitars, and a vocal delivery that feels more “punk basement brawl” than “electronic arena anthem.” While that might sound refreshing on paper, The Wheel is often at war with itself — a record caught between raw ambition and overproduction.
Songs like “SPLIT” and “Lost It” strike a decent balance, echoing the cinematic heaviness of Architects’ For Those That Wish to Exist, while “FLOAT” and “Afterdark” keep one foot in familiar territory with their bombastic melodies and atmospheric layers. For long-time fans, these tracks will feel like the bridge between Treehouse and this new, industrial era.
Unfortunately, the title track and its immediate follow-up “Eliminator” are rough going. The overblown production, repetitive riffing, and jarring vocal choices make for a cluttered experience. Lead singer Devin Oliver, usually a reliable anchor for the band’s genre-hopping chaos, feels buried in the mix. When he screams, “All I hear is noise,” it becomes unintentionally self-referential — because yes, sometimes that’s all we hear too.
Thankfully, The Wheel finds its footing around the halfway mark. “Drift” stands tall as the album’s true highlight — a dynamic, melancholic rush of glitchy melodies, creative vocal manipulations, and some absolutely killer drum work. Session drummer Luke Holland (Falling in Reverse, ex-The Word Alive) elevates nearly every song he touches here, stretching from the thunderous “D4MAGE DONE” to the ethereal “Carry On for You”, a track that wouldn’t feel out of place on Bring Me the Horizon’s Amo.
As the album progresses, the chaos begins to clear. The Beastie Boys-esque shouts fade into more traditional screams, and the guitars are allowed to breathe. The latter half leans on accessibility, channeling the familiar, melodic core that once defined I See Stars. Tracks like “are we 3ven?” and “Flood Lights” may not break new ground, but they bring back that emotional pulse the band risked losing. Even so, some of these songs blur together, leaving the final stretch feeling a little samey despite strong moments — like the southern-tinged guitar touches on “Afterdark” or the guest feature on “Lost It.”
In the end, The Wheel spins unevenly. It’s messy, ambitious, and often fascinating, but it also stumbles under the weight of its own experimentation. For every inspired idea, there’s another that doesn’t quite land. Still, when I See Stars hit their stride, it’s clear they haven’t lost the spark that made them one of metalcore’s most forward-thinking acts — they’ve just taken a few risky turns on the road to rediscovery.
