Album Review: A Shifting Sense of Stillness by A Kiss Before Dying
Album artwork for “A Shifting Sense of Stillness” by A Kiss Before Dying
“A Shifting Sense of Stillness” commands to be heard from the second you press play. Offering a menacing 00’s guitar intro backed by radio static spoken lyrics, you can imagine this playing alongside a battle-ready movie scene, watching antagonists preparing for conflict. It’s perpetually effective, and you’re not even 30 seconds into the record yet. A Kiss Before Dying waste no time in turning the aggression up to the max, with abrasive vocals delivering lyrics of a violent tone, “Stabbing through, ending you, an iron knife the shade of night.” alongside fast-paced metalcore tremolo picking, and drum patterns that are only adding to the determination of the intro track. While it may be shorter than average songs, You Make Your Bed, You Die In It, ultimately sets the bar for the entire record, and my god is it high.
If you know me, then you’ll probably expect me to say that the vocals should be further forward in the mix, but they work so harmoniously alongside the tones of this album at the level they are. The almost muffled, static sound that comes from them not being front and center amplifies the roughness that is so wonderfully welcomed with this release. They stand out and take a well-crafted, creative stance in an era of over-polished, modern production. Bet you never thought you’d hear this writer say that.
“We all agree that despite all being in at least 2 other projects each, we collectively believe this is some of the best music any of us have ever written.”
There are hints of techniques that are more prevalent in modern metalcore dusted throughout the record though, with alien-like pick scrapes -otherwise known as wee woos - slides, and the use of pedals to create distortion. While other bands in the modern scene tend to overuse these, resulting in them providing nothing but filler cliché’s, A Kiss Before Dying have danced on the line so thoughtfully that they provide enhancement, not hindrance. These small, often abused techniques, will push “A Shifting Sense of Stillness” towards a wider audience, allowing real and false metalcore enjoyers to temporarily come together in agreement that an album does, in fact, fuck.
Rage of Caliban (ft. vulgarity) might just be the standout track on the record. While the other tracks with features are undeniably well executed, and their featured vocalists work well mixed in with the band, there’s something so exceedingly brilliant about this one. This is a showcase of the best corners of A Kiss Before Dying, refined to excellence and even further, and the result is a song so flawless it’s almost offensive. Throughout its 3:22 runtime, a sinister aura looms over you, provoking urgency and discomfort before fueling incomprehensible levels of adrenaline through the riff changes and panic chords. Even without the vocal duality from vulgarity, Rage of Caliban would remain at the top, as it is the blueprint for what good metalcore actually is.
The longest, and most pleading track is, Rose of Sharon Cassidy (ft. officer down), taking listeners through a parade of emotions, from anger and betrayal, to sorrow and hope. The guitar work echoes the lyricism perfectly, forcing pulverizing riffs through listening devices when you’re supposed to feel the wrath, and stripping back to a frighteningly delicate simplicity when hearts are being poured out, and it’s this sort of composition that is the difference between listeners feeling exactly what the band intends, and feeling nothing below surface level enjoyment. Leading to the end of the track, the instrumentals switch a lot more frequently for the final verse, shifting between bitterness and imploring, once again immersing the listener in the minds of the band and allowing them to genuinely feel the emotions being conveyed. Rose of Sharon Cassidy makes the, “art can’t make you feel things” crowd obsolete. Sometimes people need to unlock sides of themselves that they never knew existed in order to appreciate music, and it would be no surprise if this track is a favourite due to its raw, emotional impact.
In order to prove that they’re a band that means everything they project through their craft, there isn’t a single track on the entire record that spares the listener. This was created for the most dangerous in the pit, and for the ones with no outlet other than music, and while this may be wall to wall visceral aggression, it’s a safe space for human expression, in whichever form that may be.
By the time you reach the closer, you’re guaranteed to have been catapulted relentlessly through the darkest human emotions, to the point you feel you’ve nothing left to give if you’ve been performing while listening, like an unpaid guest feature. Closing tracks are meant to collate the perfections of a record and amplify them for one final blow, and God’s A Long Way Down The Grapevine does exactly that without compromise. It’s extraordinarily commanding, piecing together all of the aspects heard previously into phrases that instill overwhelming amounts of pressure to release every pent up bit of anger and pain. Where we began this record with a sense of power, we end it at the other end of the spectrum, because lyrically, this track implies defeat which creates a sense of storytelling only understood upon a full listen of the album. 5 minutes of unrelenting force and 5 minutes of a barrage of potency ends with, “Now I am weak, I pray for eyes to see.”
Guitarist, Brodie Climer, had this to say when asked about the record, “We all agree that despite all being in at least 2 other projects each, we collectively believe this is some of the best music any of us have ever written.” And after multiple attentive listens, it’s hard to disagree with such a statement. Even if you have never heard of this band before, they’re going to make a mark in your mind once you hear “A Shifting Sense of Stillness” due to its harrowing influence on emotions, and abundance of grooves that will get even the most stubborn person moving. This record will end up in a lot of music libraries, not just because of its sheer brilliance, but because it brings an exciting twist to revivalcore that many attempt and fail.
FFO: Withpaperwings, loveletters, A Year Ago Today
SCORE: 8/10
“A Shifting Sense of Stillness” is out on all streaming platforms on Friday 12th June, released independently. OliverGlennRecords will be distributing CD’s for the record online.
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