Album Review: Silent Planet – Everything Was Sound

Tyler H. July 1, 2016 202 Comments 285 views 0 likes

Mental illness is an important subject matter that consistently seems to be dismissed in modern society by people who can ultimately help those who suffer. Why this is dismissed can be linked back to a multitude of reasons, but one of the major ones is that people seem to dislike talking about it. Music is an easy way to change that baseline ideology as artists have a way to convey messages in a more sociable way. That is what Los Angeles based metalcore outfit Silent Planet have made a name for themselves doing; with their first full length telling stories through the eyes of woman protagonists about a variety of political issues throughout history. Their new record seems them tackle the aforementioned mental illness subject matter in a unique way utilizing their own educational backgrounds, experiences and musical talents. With the anticipation brimming at the rim for their sophomore release, Everything Was Sound, did the band convey the message appropriately or did it end up coming across forced?

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Genre: Metalcore
Release: July 1, 2016
Label: Solid State Records
Purchase: iTunes | Google Play
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
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First and foremost, this isn’t a typical concept album in the usual way bands create them. This is, as the band as appropriately stated, “13 tracks, 9 rooms, one story of madness and hope”. Each track contains a character that tackles a mental illness, such as bi-polar disorder, anxiety and fear, all the while the record contains an overarching theme to maintain a sense of cohesion. On top of tackling unique subject matter, Silent Planet have always had creative ways to deviate from the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus” formula that over saturates today’s metalcore scene. They have taken all the strong elements of The Night God Slept and amplified them tenfold while retaining a haunting atmosphere through ambient guitar leads, crushing riffs and an overall energetic level of finesse.

As for the overall sound on the record, songs such as “Dying in Circles” and lead single “Panic Room” see the band delving into more dark, atmospheric territory while “First Father” and “Inhabit The Wound” offers the more traditional, ambient sound fans have come to expect. The variety on the album gives each song its own identity on top of the pivotal character it plays without ever feeling like filler. Frontman Garret Russel’s lyrics have much improved this time around by retaining the poetic elements from The Night God Slept while making them more coherent and relate-able. Garret also shows considerable vocal range this time around from brutal lows to almost spoken word verses,

Utilizing ambient guitar leads, crushing riffs, crunchy bass and combining them with the frantic drumming and unique idea behind the record, make Everything Was Sound a beautiful chaos. Silent Planet are firing on all cylinders with this release and show no signs of slowing down. Showing an impressive amount of maturity both lyrically and sonically, Everything Was Sound is sure to be a contender on many year end lists and leaves many wondering what theme and message they’ll attempt to convey in their music next.