“Serenity, always running from me – can you feel it?”
Compared to some, I hopped aboard the Currents hype train only relatively recently – whilst many have devoutly followed the band since their debut studio album The Place I Feel Safest in 2017, it took until 2022 for me to discover their 2020 sophomore album, The Way It Ends. Quite befittingly then, the early 2023 announcement of their tertiary full-length record – and subject of this review – landed at the most opportune moment for me to delve into a backlog of masterful metalcore hits. Over the last few months, tracks like “Better Days”, “Kill the Ache” and “Into Despair” have been constants in my gym playlist rotation, with oblivion-bringing guitar riffs that are now bleeding into my own songwriting. Needless to say, Currents are becoming a very significant influence for me, and it brings me the utmost pleasure to be diving into their new album, The Death We Seek.
The eponymously-titled opening track is a swelling, soaring metalcore masterpiece that truly feels like a cataclysmic world-ender, and we’re only one song in. Vocalist Brian Wille has previously commented on “The Death We Seek”, remarking that it is about the gravity of our decisions, and our responsibilities for their inevitable outcomes. “The Death We Seek” was composed shortly after the release of The Way It Ends, and this is most apparent in the dark, nihilistic ambience that carries over from the ending track of that album, the fan-favourite “Better Days”.
“Living In Tragedy” swings in second place on the tracklist, boasting some outrageously hefty balls-to-the-walls Drop E-tuned riffwork by guitarist Chris Wiseman, who co-produced the album alongside seasoned producer, Ryan Leitru. Wille’s performance here is unfathomably brilliant, bringing some of the most aggressive Currents lyrics and low gutturals we’ve had from him — “Pierce through the vitals, watch them bleed / Contrition void in violence / Destruction of the gods / Victory costs everything.”
The overall production on “Living In Tragedy” and through the entire album has a thick, full, Mick Gordon-esque vibe to it that I’m mostly fond of, albeit with a few muddy moments as the slabby heft of the low-end drowns out the detail and volume of the cymbals across the record. The mix on The Death We Seek was crafted by Jeff Dunne, who has worked his magic on bands like Wage War and Make Them Suffer. Yet, I feel those particular bands were more befitting for Dunne’s style than for Currents; there’s a tangible disparity between The Way It Ends and The Death We Seek which is weighted in favour of the former, produced by Adam “Nolly” Getgood.
As a guitarist, one of the core things drawing me into Currents is their prowess over progressive-metalcore guitar riffs. Like their contemporaries in Invent Animate, ERRA and Polaris, there is a certain intricacy, technicality and artistic nuance within Currents’ riffs that simply does it for me, and if you admire any of the above bands, you’re certain to find something you like within the respectable ten-track, forty-minute runtime of The Death We Seek. Particularly, “Unfamiliar” and the most recently-released single “So Alone” are phenomenal offerings for those techy-guitar-lovers like myself.
Fifth track “Over And Over” is a true standout song amongst the brilliance of The Death We Seek. One of Currents’ hardest riffs yet blasts through the mix like an infernal cannon amongst desolate ambience, offering an absolutely pulverising introduction to the album’s midpoint. Wille operates at peak performance here with a gloriously anthemic chorus hook rivalling the infectiousness of I Prevail and We Came As Romans: “Only to find myself undone / Over and over / Only to find myself alone / Over and over.”
Your mileage absolutely may vary on this, however, seventh cut “Vengeance” doesn’t do much for me personally. “Vengeance” reaches a point of abrasiveness with how straight-up sludgy the guitars and bass sound within the mix, resulting in a listening experience that is not quite as palatable for me due to its comparable absence of ambience and abundantly-melodic lead guitars when held up against the rest of The Death We Seek. Instead, “Vengeance” will more-so appeal to deathcore crowds, with its sustained, unrelenting freneticism. I can comfortably appreciate what Currents went for on this track, and it certainly serves a deserved role within the confines of the album holistically, but it’s not one I’d single out for separate playlist adds or individual listens.
The Death We Seek draws to a close with penultimate track “Remember Me”, which is bound to become a setlist staple for Currents in the coming years. Acting as a melancholic commentary on how utterly disconnected we have become in this post-pandemic, even post-apocalyptic world. Wille’s chorus speaks a dire truth of just how far down into our echo chambers we have fallen: “All the love is gone, driven apart / By what we all have seen / We’re falling over ourselves / How do we mourn what’s lost, what never will be? / Remember me, remember me as you loved me.” “Remember Me” borders on nihilism, whilst ultimately retaining hope in its closing and most memorable line: “You are my family, and I will not let hate be my last sin.”
Ending The Death We Seek is “Guide Us Home”, a meandering, harrowing, heartfelt plea for restitution and recovery. This grand finale is a swirling maelstrom of fire and wind; hope and dismay are intertwined in dizzying, diabolically-heavy rhythm patterns with those oh-so-lovable lead guitar runs. This is all replete with a surprise solo towards the song’s end, bringing The Death We Seek to an incredibly satisfying conclusion. I am not left with an instant desire for more songs, merely some clearer production which is admittedly 1). a personal preference, and 2). appreciably difficult to attain given how low-tuned these songs are, but it was at least accomplished on the prior record.
Overall, The Death We Seek is a commanding, purposeful and quite honestly, sobering record that showcases Currents at the top of their game. Whilst the mix is a little touch-and-go for my liking, the musicianship across the entire album is unwaveringly tight and the emotional gravitas of The Death We Seek is not to be understated nor under-estimated, particularly with the heaviest-hitting tracks, “The Death We Seek”, “Over And Over”, “Remember Me” and “Guide Us Home”. The Death We Seek equalises The Way It Ends in songwriting and narrowly misses due to the mix, ultimately paving the way for their inevitable fourth record to stand as their true magnum opus.
8.5/10
The Death We Seek by Currents will be released on May 5th via Sharptone Records, and you can pre-order the album here. For more on Currents and all the best upcoming metal releases, stay with us at Boolin Tunes.