Masen Matthews | rawr reviews
Oct. 2, 2013 marked the day the metalcore giants, Underoath, announced they would be splitting up.
Famous for tracks like “Writing On the Walls,” “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black and White” and “Reinventing Your Exit,” Underoath left a huge fan base behind after playing for more than a decade.
Since their breakup a year ago, former vocalist, Spencer Chamberlain has been busy with a new band, titled Sleepwave, and the debut album, “Broken Compass” is currently streaming ahead of a Sept. 16 release date.
One listen proves Sleepwave is an entirely different behemoth than Underoath, but it still shines by itself as one of the best things the rock genre has spawned in the past few years.
From the first seconds of album opener, “Paper Planes,” it’s clear that “Broken Compass” has all of the makings of a great rock album. One word to describe it would be “punchy,” which is exemplified through aggressive guitar riffs and fast drum beats.
What’s even better is the layer of atmosphere that gets added throughout the album in the form of varied keyboard effects. In terms of influence and sound, Sleepwave channels a style along the lines of a new-age incarnation of the band Filter, with some modernized bells and whistles thrown in.
Tracks like, “Paper Planes” and “Rock and Roll Is Dead and So Am I,” are a couple of songs that stand out as great rock songs when looking at the album as a whole. The latter features a guitar riff that opens up the track as it’s backed by an atmospheric synthetic track in good taste. The former is also great and has a ton of drive, as well as a catchy chorus.
Admittedly, the album isn’t flawless, and not every song holds up to the standards of the aforementioned tracks.
Towards the middle the album gets a bit boring, and the slower songs don’t jive too well in the context the album is presented in. “Disgusted: Disguised,” in particular stands out as one of the worst songs on the album. The whole song sounds like a post “Minutes to Midnight” Linkin Park b-side, which is horrible. Luckily, things pick back up on songs like “Through the Looking Glass,” which has another huge chorus, and an industrial beat to back.
If you come into this album expecting it to sound like Underoath, prepare to be disappointed. Sleepwave is a stripped-down venture for sure, and the ultra-layered, grungy and dissonant riffs that characterized Underoath aren’t present here.
Once you get past that, you’ll find something that shines all in itself. “Broken Compass” doesn’t stack up to what Underoath was, but it proves to be a solid album in its own light, and Chamberlain’s foray into rock is by no means a step in the wrong direction.