Radiant Bloom

Astronoid

Astronoid have such a unique sound and really stand in a lane all their own. They even coined their own term to describe their music; dream thrash. What does that even mean? Well the thrash comes in the form of relentless speed: quickly strummed guitar chords, furious blast beats, and some occasional shredding guitar solos. The dream element comes from the saturation of reverb creating warm blankets of guitars and vocals that envelop you. The melodies are also super triumphant and life-affirming, taking the edge of the band's more metal tendencies. I really appreciate what the band is doing, but I will admit, I have yet to really fall in love with their albums. Despite having a truly unique sound, I find the band is unable to find much diversity within this narrow place they've carved out for themselves. And thus, by the end of their records, I tend to disconnect and lose interest. Their third album, Radiant Bloom, still suffers a little from a lack of a diversified sound, although, I do think this is their most consistent offering yet; even without a truly electrifying tune that can go up against an Up and Atom or I Dream In Lines.

This album is packed with the clashing of sweet melodies and chaotic passages; which adequately regulates tension and release. Certain tracks pull it off better than others like Sedative, who's chaotic and urgent opening immediately throws up guard walls before being dispelled with a wonderful guitar lead played over a blast beat. I've Forgotten Your Face opens with a totally opposite approach, taking a page out of the Deftones playbook, and giving the droning shoegaze sound a try before heading back into their typical modus operandi. Orchid and Drown were the two tracks I felt a little sleepy on. They didn't really offer up any new or compelling ideas, but thankfully, the last two tracks that came afterwards finished the album off with more intensity, sweet melodies, and more sweeping song structures.

I really only have two gripes with this album, but they are pretty significant. The first is that vocalist Brett Boland reveals himself over time to be a pretty flat vocalist. His tone is boy-ish and he can hit all the notes no problem, but his performances feel like they are severely lacking in personality. It is one of the reasons why I think I tend to lose interest by the end of their records. The other issue I have, and this is more on the technical side, is that the drum mixing is not the best. During the blast beat sections, the snare almost entirely disappears, making it feel really lopsided. The volume ducking that makes room for those pummelling kicks can also get a little fatiguing to listen to during those passages. But perhaps the worst part is that I can frequently hear clicks and pops in the drum performances. I'm not sure if it's in the stick definition on the cymbals, a bad hit on the snare or toms, but it happens more frequently than you'd like to hear on a professional recording. Other than that though, I think this was a decent record from Astronoid. No real standouts as I already mentioned, but it's heavy, uplifting, pleasant, and the closest the band has come yet to crafting an engaging album from start to finish.