British metalcore bunch WHILE SHE SLEEPS is introducing a somewhat reimagined version of the band on their sixth studio album “Self Hell,” due out on March 29th, 2024, via Spinefarm Records. On their past records, the weight of the writing process rested largely with only a few band members, whereas, on this new outing, each musician’s vision has made a formidable contribution to the effort as a whole. Perhaps this is the secret ingredient that factors in on how the endeavor echoes the work of a wide array of influences, ranging from PRODIGY, LINKIN PARK, AFI, and even Brian Eno. You see, metalcore is not exactly my go-to genre, with very few bands notwithstanding. These Britons are unashamedly pop, yet pack a nice punch when it is called for; thus, the listening experience is rather conveniently a far cry from the emotional state hinted at in the title.
After the brief cinematic intro, “Peace of Mind,” things are set in motion by the banging riffer, “Leave Me Alone.” The combination of trancey synths, ultratight guitar riffs, and the 1990s-tinted nu-metal drums has a certain appeal that saves the day even during the most emo vocal parts. The drums recall DEFTONES circa 1997 and the synths are pure William Orbit stuff from twenty-something years ago. If I could loop just the synth motif at around 2:10, I most certainly would! Then again, I identify as a Gen-Xer with nothing short of a shady musical past. The leap from warehouse rave parties to headbanging in a nu-metal show is not that big, really, and these metalcore younglings seem to have a grasp on it too.
Mixing seemingly disparate elements does not end in the opener. “Rainbows” throws in a good pinch of rock-fugue riffing à la MUSE. Then, top these classically tinged riffs with a diabolically catchy pop chorus and there you have it – Bach goes metalcore! And speaking of catchy singalongs, the first prize goes to the title track. If Fatboy Slim ever made a metalcore track, it would probably sound something like this. The song even comes with a nice TB-303 riff!
Then, just when you thought the album was about to plunge headlong into electronica, it gears up on uptempo pop-punk. “Wildfire” has some electronic flourishes, too, but it is basically a homage to the heyday of punk rock infested with pop hooks. Yeah, the song is yet another sly glance sideways back in time… So, I guess, the instrumental Brian Eno soundscapes of the follow-up track, “No Feeling Is Final (feat. Aether)” blend right in. Bands used to pull stunts like this some 30 years ago as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Who would mind free-floating in zero gravity after a good night’s rocking out?
Next, as the absolute banger of the album kicks in, the transition from pop-punk riffing to ambient soundscapes suddenly makes sense. Surely you couldn’t just hop from pop-laden punk choruses to the somewhat timeless melancholy of “Dopesick (feat. Fin Power).” Driven by a motif that recalls this one AEROSMITH classic from times immemorial, this song is the one most likely to become a staple in the band’s live repertoire.
Like ever so often, the comedown after the absolute best album track can prove a bit challenging; while “Down (feat. Alex Malevolence)” is not a bad song, its obvious leanings toward the standard FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH conduct feels like a let-down after the haunting brilliance of its predecessor. In isolation, the song comes off pretty ok, but right after “Dopesick,” it cannot but sound a little lame. Maybe it is just a tell-tale sign of how magnificent a song the latter really is.
On the same note, “To the Flowers” comes off as though the band put on the silver suit and went through the motions. With repeated spins, you start to spot nice vocal layers and whatnot, so I guess this song also suffers a bit from the fact that it was placed after the best banger. Or, maybe the weird and glitchy APHEX TWIN electronica of “Out of the Blue” should have been placed right after the peak of the album, in order to perform a hard reset on your ears.
That said, the last decent song on the album is “Enemy Mentality.” I guess you cannot review British metalcore without, at least once, mentioning BRING ME THE HORIZON. Here, this is the track that recalls BMTH the most, especially from the “That’s the Spirit”-era, before they started flirting with dubstep and whatnot. This is yet another track to boast the trademark acid-house beeps of the legendary Roland TB-303 synth, which is always a plus!
In the name of common decency, I choose not to say much about the acoustic closer, “Radical Hatred Radical Love.” It represents the type of love songs that I skip, by default, to preserve my will to live. Yeah, sure, the marketing department probably thought it would be best to bring things to a closure with a ballad pulling on the heartstrings of the listener, but I’m a genuine Gen-Xer, so these types of songs don’t work on me. Nevertheless, WHILE SHE SLEEPS has compiled nothing short of a banging album. Now that BRING ME THE HORIZON has resorted to crafting sonic impersonations of the Power Puff Girls theme songs, I reckon it is nice to have a British bunch still keeping the flame of class-A metalcore alive.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Peace of Mind
- Leave Me Alone
- Rainbows
- Self Hell
- Wildfire
- No Feeling Is Final (feat. Aether)
- Dopesick (feat. Fin Power)
- Down (feat. Alex Malevolence)
- To the Flowers
- Out of the Blue
- Mental Enemy
- Radical Hatred Radical Love
Lineup
Lawrence ”Loz” Taylor – vocals
Mat Welsh – guitars
Sean Long – lead guitars
Aaran Mckenzie – bass
Adam Savage – drums
Label
Spinefarm Records
