“In the garden of your mind, hatred grows and dissonance calls your name.“
Thousand Below left an impactful mark on the scene with their 2017 debut, The Love You Let Too Close. A stellar post-hardcore record, it built the steady foundation on which this band has continued to construct upon. Since then, they have also released sophomore album Gone In Your Wake, an acoustic EP, let go of your love, and signed to Pale Chord alongside the likes of Spiritbox and Lost in Separation. This brings us to their surprise year-end offering, Hell Finds You Everywhere.
The band’s unique blend of 2010s post-hardcore, pop hooks, and post-rock soundscapes has been a big factor in both their commercial and critical success. Frontman James DeBerg’s vocal versatility also plays a big part in this, being able to go from soaring, anthemic singing to ferocious screams. The band started the cycle back in May with first single “Venenosa”, a satisfying mix of the different sounds they have explored over the years. The potent catchiness of the chorus parallels the venomous nature of the song title, and it’s topped off with one of their most crushing breakdowns in a good while. As a statement of this new cycle, it was the perfect single, putting to bed any doubts from Gone In Your Wake that the band was beginning to abandon its metallic roots.
Following this was “Face to Face”. A short but sweet affair, it balances out accessibility and aggression, starting the song on a screamed verse which leads into an infectious chorus. The sudden drop into a breakdown in the middle was a pleasant surprise, and it really ties the song together, giving it all the elements one could ask for in a single. The final single, and my personal favourite, “Sabotage”, showcases the band’s melodic side in the form of a ballad. The chorus is yet again the highlight, exploding into a gorgeous, ambience filled crescendo each time. It is an emotionally laden song, with the question, “Is it suicide or sabotage you think?” asked over and over, with themes about a strained relationship with a friend or partner. A lead line following the chorus melody, courtesy of guitarist Josh Thomas, ties the song together towards the end, topping off one of the catchiest songs of the year with just the right dose of groove and technicality.
The record starts with its title track, and it is already a highlight. It is a callback to their 2017 sound, whilst also fitting seamlessly into the current state of their catalogue very well; it is an intriguing marriage of sounds that was both a pleasant surprise and a great note to open their third album on. Adding to the song’s merit is a feature from none other than Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens. Appearing on the bridge, he plays to the strengths that he presented on THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND, a great finishing touch to a great song.
This trend follows on “Clockwork Enemy”, with a breakdown that rivals the one on “Vein”. DeBerg has a knack for catchy, earworm-type choruses and this song is a great example of that: “And even when you pray for me, hate for me, I feel it in my heart but you couldn’t have known.” This is definitely another standout track, bringing some much-needed aggression to the album whilst continuing to deliver the melodic vocal deliveries that make Thousand Below so entrancing and accessible. The album goes back into ballad mode with “Next Time Around”, a gentler and slower song to balance out the first half of the album. Elements of post rock fill the chorus beautifully, providing the intensity to contrast DeBerg’s mellow singing. The song also features Matt Flood of Caskets on the second verse. His vocal melodies slot in nicely, complimenting the song, and it ultimately ends up sounding exactly like one would expect from this collaboration.
“Silent Season” is the album’s shortest track, but it’s not to be overlooked – taking from the positives of Gone In Your Wake, it captivates on the chorus and the song keeps up the momentum all the way through. It even manages to squeeze in some heaviness with a screamed verse, once again showing the band know exactly where the line is between accessibility and aggression. The melancholic vibes of the song really shine, through the short duration. Following this is “Shade”, another more melodic track. It once again showcases the talents of DeBerg’s vocals, but it perhaps relies on that a bit too much on this track; while a solid track nonetheless, it is not the most memorable, falling into the band’s general soundscape and structure without any of the real emotion or bite that allows the others to stand out.
However, the album takes a surprising turn with “Blue Roses Don’t Fade”, which takes the form of a synth-pop track that almost entirely ditches the instrumentation. Trading the guitars and drums for a synth bassline and a drum machine, it brings an interesting late twist to the record. The track also features Sapporo rock band CVLTE, who play a unique blend of modern rock, emo rap, and post hardcore. They lend their signature autotuned vocals to the second half of the song, even including some Japanese lyrics that flow beautifully. Stylistically, this is a switch-up that I can appreciate and enjoy, but I do foresee it being divisive, serving as a similar beat-and-synth-driven exploration to Bad Omen‘s “What do you want from me?” and Dayseeker‘s recent “Dark Sun“.
The album ends on “All I Have Left To Give”. Layered screams under the intense singing on the chorus elevate the song emotionally, which it is clearly going for. This is paired yet again with the post-rock sensibilities that the band is known for. Lyrically about sacrificing oneself for a loved one, it ends on the line, “I’ll probably speak your name on my last breath just because it’s all that I have left, it’s all that I have left to give.”
Hell Finds You Everywhere sits as a welcome addition to Thousand Below’s discography. Utilising strengths from past and previous eras of the band, it crafts an evolution for the band that they can be proud of. The vocals are clearly a standout feature of the album, although the album does rely on this a tad too much at times. A lot of the album is engineered for replay value with its repetition, and while this may be a turn-off for some, I begrudgingly admit that it was effective on me. Thousand Below have overall delivered a solid offering, and they achieved exactly what they were going for on this album. Whilst this specific post-hardcore sound is somewhat well-trodden, the execution can hardly be faulted.
8.5/10
Hell Finds You Everywhere releases December 9th via Pale Chord, and you can pre-order it here.