| 4.5 superb |
| Acres Smoke and Decay |
| Terrific EP by these guys. This band sure knows how to put emotion first in their tracks. I look forward to hearing a LP by them with this new vocalist. "The Bridge Between" is one of the most beautiful instrumental tracks I have heard in a while. |
| Amenra Mass IIII |
| Amenra Mass III |
| As Cities Burn Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest |
| As Cities Burn Hell or High Water |
| August Burns Red Messengers |
| Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me |
| Brand New Deja Entendu |
| Breather Resist Charmer |
| Converge The Dusk in Us |
| Converge You Fail Me |
| Converge All We Love We Leave Behind |
| Converge Axe to Fall |
| Converge No Heroes |
| Cult of Luna A Dawn to Fear |
| Deafheaven Sunbather |
| Demon Hunter True Defiance |
| Demon Hunter Summer of Darkness |
| Emery We Do What We Want |
| Emery White Line Fever |
| Emery Eve |
| Emery You Were Never Alone |
| ERRA Impulse |
| Falling Up The Chilling Alpine Adventure |
| Father John Misty God's Favorite Customer |
| Focal Point Suffering of the Masses |
| From Indian Lakes Absent Sounds |
| From Indian Lakes Dimly Lit |
| Gatherers Caught Between a Rock and a Sad Place |
| Greyhaven Empty Black |
| Greyhaven Keep It Quiet |
| Haste the Day Dissenter |
A decade of silence culminates in a masterpiece of evolution, as Haste the Day's Dissenter
trades nostalgia for a dark, daring, and masterfully dynamic sound that rivals the very best
of their discography and opens the door to a brand-new beginning.
For many longtime fans, it’s deeply understandable to feel a profound connection to a band
you essentially “grow old with.” I began listening to Haste the Day around 2006 when Stephen
Keech joined. I was just thirteen, and their music has always held a tender, sentimental
place in my heart for that early adolescent chapter of my life. This band walked with me
through nearly a decade of listening, growing up, and maturing. Their songs kept me captive
from such a young age, and even now, they still bridge my past and present with warmth and
familiarity. As we all know, songs change with us as we age. The records themselves never
change a single second, yet we do—and the world around us changes too. That shared evolution
touches our deepest relationships with the music we love and quietly opens doors to new
creative paths we couldn’t see when we were younger.
Eleven years after the heartfelt goodbye of Coward, Haste the Day has returned with
Dissenter. The album carries familiar echoes of 2011’s Attack of the Wolf King, but it has
matured that sound beautifully—transforming its brightness into something darker, richer,
more varied, and deeply textured. This growth radiates through the musicianship, song
structures, and lyrics. The record honors everything we’ve always loved about HTD while
bravely taking risks that make it feel alive and vital.
The only real stumble is the opener “Cycles.” Its heavy build creates a strong, gritty tone
for what’s ahead, but the abrupt ending doesn’t flow naturally into “Shallows.” A smoother
transition that lets the guitar distortion ring out and fade into the next track would help.
That said, everything after that is a steady, emotional uphill climb, growing stronger and
more moving until the breathtaking closer “Oblivion,” which stands tied with “Adrift” as the
best song on the album. The record divides naturally into two deeply satisfying halves: the
first (“Cycles” through “Liminal”) and the second (“Gnasher” through “Oblivion”).
The first half feels like coming home to the Haste the Day we’ve known and loved for two and
a half decades, which is a consistent brand of metalcore that is theirs and instantly
recognizable. Yet it’s far from repetitive. The riffs hit deeper and feel more textured than
ever. Brennan’s chorus on “Shallows” is one of the most somber and unique choruses in their
entire catalog. “Grave” and “Burn” deliver that classic bright HTD sound alongside Stephen
and Brennan's vocal tandem. “Grave” gently foreshadows the second half with its ethereal
verses and swirling, dreamlike instrumentation. “Liminal” ends the side on a high note with
its Attack of the Wolf King energy, Garrett from Silent Planet’s solid contribution, and the
most exhilarating drumming on the record.
As strong as the first half is, the second half is where the record shines its brightest.
This is where Haste the Day fully reveals their evolved sound while still holding onto the
soul of who they’ve always been. It’s riskier, darker, more mature, and more instrumentally
and emotionally varied. The band gives us enough familiarity to understand and then gently
pulls us into new, slower, beautifully textured territory. Here we get both the heaviest
songs they’ve ever written (“Gnasher” and “Heretic”) and the two most sonically and vocally
beautiful ones (“Adrift” and “Oblivion”).
Stephen’s voice has changed, and for the better. His screams are rawer and grittier, yet his
cleans remain luminous and bright, now carrying an even deeper, more lived-in maturity that
perfectly complements the music. His performance throughout is haunting and full of heart,
stretching from powerful screams to wispy, shoegaze-like vulnerability and soaring, heart-
piercing highs. “Adrift” and “Oblivion” are rightfully in conversation as two of the best
songs the band has ever written. “Adrift” wraps you in a vast, void-like atmosphere that
feels like floating through the unknown, while “Oblivion” lifts you above the clouds with
gorgeous strings and a sense of hard-won peace. Together, they capture the emotional peak of
the entire record, and it is within these two tracks that the band’s evolution and growth
are showcased most.
Lyrically, the album matches that emotional depth. It’s about facing the truth that the
world is no longer the one we grew up in. The early 2000s feel far away. Very far. Much like
our evolving bond with old songs, so much has changed, yet fragments of what we loved
remain. Dissenter is a heartfelt reminder to hold on to those you love and to keep them
close until the end. To wade through this new and darker world side by side with those who
are dear to you, so as to make it to the bliss of the next life with Christ, where this
growing darkness will be left behind forever.
Dissenter is, without question, Haste the Day’s best record to date. As they approach their
30th anniversary, this album feels like the hopeful beginning of a powerful second chapter.
Just like the record itself, I see their future in two halves: honoring everything that came
before while fearlessly stepping into new light. Few bands consistently outdo themselves the
way Haste the Day has with each new release. Because of that, I believe their best music is
starting now and whatever lies ahead. |
| Heaven In Her Arms White Halo |
| Hop Along Bark Your Head Off, Dog |
| Hundredth Rare |
| Ithaca The Language of Injury |
| Jamie's Elsewhere They Said a Storm Was Coming |
| Kayak Jones You Swear It's Getting Better Every Day |
| Like Moths to Flames The Cycles of Trying to Cope |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory |
| Linkin Park Meteora |
| Living Sacrifice The Hammering Process |
| Living Sacrifice Reborn |
| Metallica Master of Puppets |
| Metallica Kill 'Em All |
| mewithoutYou [Untitled] |
| mewithoutYou Pale Horses |
| mewithoutYou It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright! |
| Mike Shinoda Post Traumatic EP |
| Norma Jean All Hail |
| Norma Jean Wrongdoers |
| Novo Amor Birthplace |
| Novo Amor Woodgate, NY |
| Novo Amor Bathing Beach |
| Ruby Haunt Tiebreaker |
| Ruby Haunt The Middle Of Nowhere |
| Ruby Haunt Shipwreck/Moonlighting |
| Ruby Haunt Cures For Opposites |
| A hauntingly beautifully and peaceful record. Some of the most diverse group of tracks they?ve put together. I think Glider and Diving Bell are up there with two of the best songs in their discography. I wish it was a bit longer, but that?s my only complaint. |
| Sent By Ravens Our Graceful Words |
| Sent By Ravens The Effects of Fashion and Prayer |
| Spanish Love Songs Schmaltz |
| The Devil Wears Prada Dead Throne |
| The Story So Far Proper Dose |
| The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding |
| The Wonder Years Sister Cities |
| Together to the Stars An Oblivion Above |
| Tool Ænima |
| Tool 10,000 Days |
| Trenches The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole |
| Two People First Body |
| Underoath They're Only Chasing Safety |
| Underoath Define The Great Line |
| Vein.fm Errorzone |
| We Came As Romans Understanding What We've Grown to Be |
| Wolves at the Gate Types & Shadows |
| 3.5 great |
| Advent Pain & Suffering |
| Breaking Benjamin Phobia |
| Demon Hunter Outlive |
| Demon Hunter Storm the Gates of Hell |
| Demon Hunter Demon Hunter |
| Demon Hunter There Was a Light Here |
This is their best album since Outlive. War, Peace, and Exile (especially Exile) were
descending in quality and originality. Exile felt like a very far fall down the hill that
the band had leaped to the top of early in their careers (Self-Titled through The Triptych)
and later refining the best parts of themselves (True Defiance and Extremist). War and Peace
left me worried about the band's recent trajectory. Once Exile was released, I had sadly
assumed this was the official beginning of the end for the band's great consistency.
However, "There Was A Light Here" is a return to form and feels a bit of a marriage of
Outlive and Extremist. The record is not up to par with either parent in this comparison, as
some filler tracks could have been removed (Breaking Through Me and Reflected), but there
are some great moments in this record that showcase the band still recognizes who they are,
what made them great.
A special note that the album's title track and last song on the record, There Was A Light
Here, is now on my top 5 list with The Tide Began to Rise, Deteriorate, The Gauntlet, and I
Am a Stone, as one of the band's best ballads. Other favorites from the record are I'm Done,
The Pain in Me Is Gone, My Place In The Dirt, and Overwhelming Closure.
Overall, I am very excited by this release. It is not their best work, nor is it their
worst. It will ideally fit somewhere in the middle of the band's discography, but it is the
best release by Demon Hunter in 8 years. |
| For All Eternity The Will to Rebuild |
| For All Eternity Metanoia |
| Haste the Day Pressure the Hinges |
| Haste the Day Dreamer |
| Haste the Day When Everything Falls |
| Linkin Park From Zero |
| Metallica Hardwired...to Self-Destruct |
| Metallica Death Magnetic |
| Norma Jean Meridional |
| Norma Jean Redeemer |
| Oh, Sleeper Children of Fire |
| Parkway Drive Atlas |
| Saosin In Search Of Solid Ground |
| Saosin Saosin |
| Slipknot Iowa |
| Still Remains Of Love and Lunacy |
| Taken With Regard To |
| We Came As Romans Cold Like War |
