“I’ve loved, I’ve lost, but through all, I’ve lived.”
Sharptone in recent years has garnered a reputation for signing bands, only for them to put out their best material yet, and their latest offering in Sentinels is no exception. The New Jersey Progressive Metalcore outfit has rightfully gained the attention of the scene following the release of their lead single “Inertia” earlier in the year, and with every subsequent single. Admittedly, prior to these, I was not anticipating new music from Sentinels; 2018 release Elysium was, for me, a regression in their sound. It did not lack technicality or musicianship—the band is far too talented for that—but it did not stick with me. It lacked an edge. The same, however, cannot be said for Collapse By Design, a rip-roaring record that is equal parts ethereal and vulnerable, and which does not shy away in the slightest from the volatility of human emotion.
After a long intro of ambient static—which is a little too drawn out, but can be forgiven within its context as an opener—“Epitaph” slips swiftly into a pummelling guitar riff that sets the raw and aggressive tone for the record. A cursory listen to the singles will tell you that this is an album brimming with panic chords, and it wastes no time jumping into that rhythm with this first track. Structurally, “Epitaph” is fairly simple, particularly by Sentinels’ standard, but that is not a slight; the breakdown utilises the original opening riff again, making the song feel very complete, and Hardiman screaming “Fuck” echoes my internal monologue for most of this album.
Following on from the opener are the tracks “Inertia” and “Embers”, both of which crank up the chaos and technicality, and yet still somehow manage to remain groovy. As the first single, “Inertia” has received many plaudits from reviewers, but for me “Embers” blows it out of the water. Hardiman has rightfully been praised for his vocal performances, but “Embers” is a welcome and poignant reminder that drummer Dave Rucki is no slouch either, and the emotion in his voice as he screams the lyrics he penned is truly visceral. Depicting the demise of a relationship due to temptation, it is perhaps the track that best displays the intricate vocal interplay between Josh and Dave scattered across the record, something there should absolutely be more of. The dissonant ending breakdown is one of the heaviest-hitting moments on the album, and left me wanting more, no matter how many times I heard it.
Next up on the tracklist is “Albatross”, another hard-hitting track, and my favourite of the singles. A criticism I had with the singles in general was the lack of vocal diversity—Hardiman’s mids are fantastic, but I was worried that without contrast they would become stale and predictable across a full-length record. “Albatross” put those doubts to bed. The lows displayed on this song are downright menacing, and combined with the slow, atmospheric build-up and extreme guitar bends make for an ominous track. The Vildjharta influence is clear on this one.
Even for the progressive subgenre the songwriting across the record is ridiculously dynamic, boasting a plethora of technical polyrhythms and expeditious drumming, and yet, despite all of this, the production and careful arrangement of chaotic elements (paradoxical though this may seem) makes the record feel incredibly cohesive. Rucki himself noted on the TrueShot podcast that it is incredibly difficult to write repeating lyrics, because so few parts are reused within a single Sentinels track. This isn’t an album for catchy choruses, but that is not the objective.
The next track, “Desecration (Isolation)”, captivated me from the first listen, with the way that it jumps from erratic to tranquil and back. It boasts one of my favourite guitar solos of the year, behind only the likes of ERRA’s “Remnant” and Sleep Token’s “Telomeres”. I did have some small criticisms, however: the dropout into the bridge after the breakdown is extremely abrupt—especially jarring when the record is so polished elsewhere. It does tend to feel like a bunch of separate sections strung together, due to the sheer volume of creativity Sentinels poured into the track.
Instrumental interlude “Solitude” leads in to the remaining singles, “Tyrant” and “To Wither Away”, filling in the gaps before what I think is the strongest run of three consecutive tracks. The first of these, “Coalescence” kicks off with a super djenty intro that indicates a shift in focus for the guitars. The down tempo section that follows the gnarly delivery of the lyrics “I refuse to dig a grave” is masterful, with crashing drums that pan across the mix. The absence of their signature fast-paced guitarwork in favour of slow, heavy chugs and a simple drumming pattern immediately drew me to this breakdown, as it stands in such juxtaposition to the rest. It’s simple, it’s heavy, and it hits like a truck. It would be fair to say that the song would have benefitted from being split up into two separate tracks, as the instrumental outro, despite being frankly beautiful, feels entirely disconnected from the bulk of the track, and thus significantly kills its replayability in isolation. Much like “Solitude”, however, it functions as a comforting breather before the regularly-scheduled face-melting recommences with the penultimate track, “Obsolete”.
A number of progressive bands tend to attempt long and grand closing songs only to fall short of the mark, often feeling like any other track but with an extended runtime. “Atlas” is no such example. In fact, it might be the track that I show to people to go ‘this is Sentinels’. Beginning with an ambient opening reminiscent of Invent Animate, it diverges from the album’s sonic pattern, but the execution and implementation of the melodic aspects is flawless. Then, it explodes with a series of blast beats, and does not let up. The guitarwork on this track is simply flawless, and it has one of the prettiest ambient leads on an album where guitarists Thomas Cardone and Chris Dombrowski seem to effortlessly flex their skills throughout. “Atlas” is the culmination of the record, where the tone shifts and the emotional demons of the narrative are exorcised. Twinkly keys build to one final, crushing resolution.
“Musically, this album is a journey,” drummer Dave Rucki added. “We put so much into everything and really did shoot for the fucking stars on this, because it’s our first full-length. We had to do it right. We matched the emotions with the music. Hopefully, when you hear it, you feel like you’re not alone.” Overall, it is a fantastic record, and they achieved exactly what they set out to do. Something in the bouncy guitars over the top of the dark ambience keeps you on the edge of your seat, until they send you over the edge with the breakdowns, and the intense lyricism is something that will largely go unnoticed at first, yet really ties the record together. I may have some gripes, most notably with transitions feeling ever-so-slightly sloppy between very polarising sections, but this is a remarkable effort, and is well worth the time for any fans of chunky riffs, frenetic drumming, and ridiculous time-signatures. Their first release with new vocalist Josh Hardiman, first release under the Sharptone umbrella, and their debut full-length, Collapse By Design represents many milestones for the band, and it is one that leads me with no doubt that there will be many more to celebrate in future.
Collapse By Design is available October 22nd via Sharptone Records, and you can pre-order the record here. Stay tuned for the upcoming interview with Sentinels vocalist Josh Hardiman.
8.5/10