You Can Be My Wave

Despite being Canadian, receiving decent air time on MuchMusic (Canadian MTV), and operating in a genre that I was largely exploring in the mid-2000s, Silverstein was a band I never really caught on to. I liked a couple of their songs from When Broken Is Easily Fixed and their breakout Discovering the Waterfront, but I guess I was more interested in the technical, prog-leaning acts like Protest the Hero, and The Fall of Troy. What's commendable in the case of Silverstein though, is that the band has been steadily pumping out music for twenty-five years with nary a hiccup; something that is fairly uncommon in their scene. We'd expect singers to damage their voice from screaming night after night, continuously having to replace band members for countless reasons, or growing tired of the entertainment rat race. But Silverstein has demonstrated that it is possible to have longevity in this genre, and that they have no plans of throwing in the towel anytime soon. In 2025, the band will release their twelfth album, broken into two parts. With the curiosity of finding out whether Silverstein can still pull off this sound twenty-five years deep into their career as well as the low twenty-three minute commitment, I decided to give the first part, titled Antibloom, a listen.

Right from the get go, it's clear the band can still nail this sound with boundless energy and ferocity. Mercy Mercy kicks in with a sick metalcore riff that is sure to get the circle pits going. As if that wasn't nasty enough, they switch to a filthy beatdown hardcore riff that will twist your face. The chorus offers a brief, yet sweet reprieve as Shane Told reveals that his clean singing is just as powerful as his harsh vocals. The track concludes with a pretty hellish quarter time breakdown, solidifying Mercy Mercy as easily the best track on the record. Other highlights include Skin & Bones thanks to its stark contrast between the sweet and sour characteristics that the genre is typically known for. This track has the strongest chorus of the collection, primarily because of Told's catchy melody and great vocal performance. The last track I enjoyed was Stress, which is the most Limp Bizkit sounding song that isn't written by Limp Bizkit. The guitars possess so many of Wes Borland's mannerisms: the groove, the ugly chord progression, and the dead strums are just a few examples. Even the ominous clean guitars have Borland's signature sound with the light chorus and delay effects that season them.

I derived quite a bit of enjoyment from these tracks, but for each track I enjoyed, there was one that I wasn't too crazy about. I thought Confession was a forgettable piece of melodramatic hard rock, and I Will Destroy This, a stale attempt at trendy alt-metal. Both tracks feature some of Told's stiffest vocal melodies in their respective choruses. Another drawback is Antibloom's lack of sonic cohesion. While in some respects it's impressive that the band is covering an eclectic array of alternative rock and metal genres, I'm getting the sense that Silverstein is merely emulating these different styles rather than presenting their own distinct identity. Putting that aside, I still thought that Antibloom was a decent project. It will be interesting to hear the second part coming later this year, and to see whether the greater context will alter my perspective.