“Tap thrice, blink and look right.“
Hail the Sun are on top of the mountain when compared to their Swancore contemporaries, New Age Filth was a stellar record that showed how far Hail the Sun has come. And now with their fifth studio album, Divine Inner Tension, they look to further stake their claim within the genre.
We first got single “Mind Rider” back in January, with no confirmation of an attached project at the time. As with most Hail the Sun tracks, I appreciated the energy the song brought, but I did think vocalist Donovan Melero’s topline was lacking, and overall, the track fell a bit flat instrumentally, with generic chord progressions and lead guitar riffs that could be on any Swancore track. Then, it was with the release of “Chunker” in May that the album was properly announced. This was an upgrade, particularly during the verses when guitarist Shane Gann absolutely shreds the lead up to the chorus. This math-rock riffage is the main motif driving the track, and it’s the best part of the cut. Sadly, I do think this track falters due to an average topline by Donovan again. Lyrically, I like how the track is reflective and petty, but overall, it was another disappointment.
Going into the bulk of the album’s promotion during the summer, I began to lose hope that Divine Inner Tension would even touch the quality of New Age Filth. I am happy to report, though, that there are some very good deeper cuts. Take “Maladapted”, for example, which starts off sounding like a modern-day Downtown Battle Mountain song. The chorus provided by Donovan on “Maladapted” is immediately leagues better than the aforementioned two tracks. Furthermore, the backing instrumental is a touch dissonant while also being poppy, and the transition after the chorus is clean. I like the subtlety of the drumming done by Donovan here as well. And even though the track feels largely subtle and chill, there’s a breakdown that feels earned and a well written send-off for it.
There are a couple tracks where I think there are good pieces to them, but they fail to grasp me entirely. Take “60-Minute Session Blocks” which sports Donovan belting another very strong chorus, singing “I’ll never change, I am the way I fluctuate” in a very cathartic nature. There’s also the opener “Tunnel Vision Alibi” which once again makes use of a specific riff motif to carry the song, and it has great energy behind it. The use of the motif in the transition to the climax of the track is commendable as well, but the track as a whole still falls a bit flat despite this. “Little Song” unfortunately fits in this category too, as Donovan’s vocal melodies here are top notch, but I can’t help but feel like the band has written much more impressive tracks in the past.
“The Story Writes Itself” does a lot of great things compared to some of the rest of the track listing. The opening has Donovan’s vocals cut up a bit, as he sings a duet with himself, in a way. Then the chorus maintains this melancholic nature before the song ramps up after that, utilizing that dichotomy to maintain interest for the listener. The bridge is perhaps the best on the entire album too, as Donovan’s vocal delivery slows down while also being amplified in an orchestral way.
Then there’s “(In My Dream)” which is a soothing, well produced interlude leading into “I Saw You Hanging.” The latter is a haunting earworm – we get Donovan singing “I thought I saw you dying, I thought I saw me there” and basically every other vocal delivery is equally as catchy and impassioned.
The intro of “Tithe” always throws me off a bit, as it’s some good old-fashioned chugging, accented by Donovan’s dreamy vocals, and it works. We also hit the point of the album here where Donovan likes to equate himself to God, or make some sort of poetic comparison of God, and that’s always a joy to digest, whether “Parasitic Cleanse” on New Age Filth, or “Tithe” here. “Tithe” takes various twists and turns sonically and structurally; thus, one can feel how much fun the band is having on the track, bolstering it and boosting it to one of my favorites on Divine Inner Tension.
I’ve listened to this record a fair amount, and I always think it might start to click for me, but sadly, only fractions of the album stand out as impressive. Instrumentally, I feel like the album is less varied than some of their other projects, sacrificing this in favour of more generic song structures and chord progressions. I’ve seen bands take a more poppy approach and pull it off without missing a step, but I cannot say that’s the case here. There are great songs and lots of very strong moments, but listening to New Age Filth next to Divine Inner Tension is like night and day.
6.5/10
You can pre-order the record here before its release on August 11th.