“No closer to heaven, than I am to hell.”
Formed in 2019, Sunspear are but one of a plethora of newer bands to emerge from the underground scene. The six-piece from North Carolina employ an unmistakably modern metalcore sound, making use of the electronics-infused djenty sound that has been so prevalent in the past few years. The band turned some heads with their 2021 EP Redacted, which featured a few of the genre’s big names, including Brian Wille (Currents), Jonny Reeves (Kingdom of Giants), and Garrett Russell (Silent Planet). With the upcoming release of their self-titled debut album, the band sees themselves at a major milestone.
The album begins on a promising number with “Purgatory”, with a barrage of lead lines leading its adrenaline packed verses. The track takes an impressive amount of twists and turns with its guitar work, courtesy of Jayson Warren and Brandon Gazzigli. Band newcomer and clean singer Tony Deputy provides a nice contrast with a floaty chorus, pairing well with the brutally aggressive vocals from lead vocalist Ryan Williams. These strengths are carried into different parts of the album, with “Embers” following suit in this path, providing a more than satisfactory take on modern metalcore with its energy. Mid-album cut “In A Stay” takes the album on a more atmospheric and emotional note, blooming into an ambience-heavy chorus and showcasing the band’s range.
It’s rather unfortunate, however, that the album finds itself stagnating at numerous points. With their foray into a more polished, synth-heavy sound à la Kingdom of Giants, many of the album’s tracks wind up being quite predictable. “Bad Vibe” leans into the “heavy pop track” trope perhaps a bit too far, and it doesn’t quite nail the balance with the hook not really meshing with the heavier moments. The intriguing guitar work presented earlier is sorely missed, giving into more of a cookie cutter metalcore sound. “Through The Pines” takes a more aggressive approach, but it ultimately isn’t very memorable as it depends too heavily on tired trends of the genre. Nik Nocturnal features on the track, but I’m stumped as to where he is on the song. My guess is that he participated in its overall composition, in which case I wish his usual creativity with modern metalcore tropes was more present.
The album makes a swing for its heaviest track early on with “K.C.D”. With an eerie choir leading the intro of the track, the track unfortunately gives way to a fairly by-the-numbers heavy track. It makes an effort to up the ante with a feature from Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer. As consistent as Barber is with his vocal capabilities, the feature works against the track, making it feel heavy for the sake of it. The track ultimately ends on a rather unceremonious fade-out; a rather underwhelming end to a track with much potential.
Although it begins on its strong foot, the album never really picks up after a certain point, with track after track just making me yearn for the far more involved instrumental work introduced at the start. While the breakdowns on the album are undeniably crafted for impact, they start to lose their effect after repeated overuse. Credit where it’s due, the album hardly falls short in the harsh vocals department with a consistent performance from Williams. The album at least ends on a stronger note with “Compromise”, bringing an uplifting and euphoric track that’s an overdue change of pace. There is a genuinely impressive solo that closes out the track, although the effort is derailed by yet another fade out ending.
I struggled a decent bit with this album. On the one hand, there are some genuinely innovative ideas present, and I felt genuinely engaged with tracks like “Purgatory”. It’s a damn shame that most of the album doesn’t really follow in those footsteps, with much of the direction of the album being either insipid or off-putting. It’s made all the more frustrating knowing what Sunspear is capable of, and the album could have caught me had it stuck to the band’s strengths. There’s no doubt that most general metalcore fans would be pleased with this album, but it leaves more to be desired for one looking for a more engaging experience.
5/10
Sunspear releases on the 1st of March via self-release.