“Is becoming numb a sin?”
It was about a year ago when I first heard of Siamese. They had recently released the single “Home” featuring Stray From The Path’s Drew York, and a friend linked the track’s music video on social media. Opening the link out of sheer random curiosity, something about “Home” immediately clicked for me. Its attitude-laden verses led by York and lead vocalist Mirza Radonjica, juxtaposed by its downright gorgeous chorus combined to encapsulate all the energy and swagger I loved from bands like Slaves and Issues (a subgenre I personally (and affectionately) label as fuckboy post-hardcore). I was shocked to find, eventually traipsing my way back through their discography, that “Home” (and this new album as a whole, also titled Home) was a product of a musical trajectory Siamese had been following for some years finally coming to a head, rather than an outright representation of the band’s sound previously.
Of course, Siamese have never been a stranger to some chunky post-hardcore riffs, but I feel they had never fully leaned into the genre until that fated single, and ultimately this record here. This eventual commitment (for lack of a better word) to the genre has been brewing for years, though. While 2019’s Super Human wasn’t a perfect record, it showed promise, and served as Siamese’s most complete and post-hardcore leaning project to date. It’s a style that clearly suited them, but, until they fully committed to it here on Home, had never quite felt fully realised on their records. I’m glad to say, in light of that, that Home is without a doubt Siamese’s strongest outing to date, and the release in which I believe the style they have been building upon for numerous years has finally been fully realised.
Tracks like “Can’t Force The Love”, “Erase My Mind“, “Numb“ and the aforementioned “Home“ represent the very best of Siamese’s output thus far. Planet-sized choruses, groovy riffs, tasteful electronics and elevated symphonics give these tracks a sense of true scale and weight where needed. Notably, Radonjica’s performances in particular stand out on these tracks, and stand as one of the strongest qualities of Home as a whole. That’s no slight toward the instrumental work, either. Radonjica’s voice has so much character, range and generally pleasing tonality that he elevates even the weaker moments on Home. Further, guitarists Andreas Kruger and Christian Lauritzen provide the best guitar work from the band to date, with some truly electrifying riffs and stank-face-inducing chugs strewn across almost every song on the album.
Home is not without its faults, however. Early-album track “Honest” feels like Siamese’s take on a Sleep Token track, but feels relatively lacking in substance, both structurally and musically when compared to many other cuts on here. After a fairly monotonous opening two minutes, its breakdown enters at random toward the tail end of the track in an attempt to inject some energy, but by that point it feels too little too late, as the track feels as if it’s over before it’s truly begun. Also worth noting, though admittedly not any fault of the band’s I’m sure, the album’s long release cycle led to the release of a whopping seven singles, meaning not much is left to the mind of the audience by the time the record releases. Again, this was most likely not the choice of the band, and its delays were likely out of anyone’s control, so I can’t in good faith dock them any points for it, but there is just no need for that many singles unless your album is, like, 40 tracks long.
Overall, Home is a showcase of the very best music Siamese have ever penned. While not without fault, the band’s full immersion into the world of post-hardcore and metalcore make for the most engaging, energetic and downright fun collection of music they’ve written to date. Great riffs, tasteful electronics and some of the best choruses I’ve heard all year make Home a record you’re sure to find something to love within if you’re a fan of the genre.
Home will be available tomorrow, December 10th via Long Branch Records, and you can pre-order the album here.
8/10