Have you ever felt your anger boil up from intense anxiety? Have you ever had the fight within your fight or flight response go into hard overdrive? Or had the sense your every move was being watched by a populace of sickeningly wide smiles and empty doll eyes as you desperately navigate a world that feels desaturated and devoid of all hope? It’s these emotions that are conveyed in the new 156/Silence album People Watching.
Upon looking at the album art, I was taken aback at the disturbing album cover. The painting of a man with empty eyes and a stretched out grin had me initially surprised, yet intrigued. I can’t remember the last time an album cover caught my attention like that. That disturbing element made me eager to give the album a listen.
As I listened, I felt how brutal and haunting the album was. The music itself is heavy, but the atmosphere has this pungent sensation of fear and anxiety. To add to the atmosphere of dread are interlude tracks that help to drive these points home. Interlude songs like "Sleep Spikes", with its John Carpenter-type synths and tip-toeing industrial drums ending with a sample from the HBO show Oz, and "Intravenous" with its dark ambience and stabbing synths, contribute heavily to this feeling.
The true emotional core lies with frontman Jack Murray’s vocal chops that switch up between visceral growls, vicious snarls, crying yelps and despondent spoken word. And when it comes time for Murray to belt out the clean notes for the choruses, as metalcore bands tend to do, his singing provides the satisfying melodrama that this kind of music demands.
Songs such as "Healing Process (Leave of Absence)", "Better Written Villain", "Product Placement", and "What I Need" are all perfect examples of Murray’s passionate vocal range. Tracks such "Blood Loss" (featuring Carson Pace of the Callous Daoboys), "Wants I Need" (featuring Craig Owens, ex-Chiodos), also feature these despondent spoken word segments.
Guitarists Jimmy Howell and Ryan Wilkinson’s riffwork jumps between bouncing grooves and sludgy chugs that fill the air. Maxwell Bradshaw’s insane drumwork contains dynamics that give each song a personality of their own. It’s a staple in nu metal for the drumwork to be solid, but the way Bradshaw’s drumming accentuates a different feeling for each song is immaculate as he jumps around between a groovy nu metal section, to a post-hardcore rager, to a steady industrial beat. Bradshaw’s drumming alone makes this album worth listening to.
In many ways, this album encapsulates what bands such as Loathe and Boundaries are currently exhibiting. A healthy combination of sublime atmospherics that are just as heavy as the guitar work and the overarching dark themes. I would say it’s just above Boundaries and a damn close second to Loathe. I would really love for more bands to not be afraid to experiment more with their music like this. Especially in a genre that’s as oversaturated with the same djent riffs and generic soaring riffs as metalcore, combining it with nu metal seems to give it more diversity and distinction.
Nu Metal Agenda may earn an affiliate commission via purchases on ticket links through this article.
