From Southern California and set to release their fourth full-length, Silent Planet are poised to make their mark on modern metal. Since forming in 2009, Silent Planet have grown in following, touring alongside the likes of Northlane and August Burns Red. Iridescent is a blend of modern metal that focuses heavily on telling a story set against cinematic soundscapes, and its twelve tracks showcase the astonishing heights Silent Planet can reach.
The opening instrumental sets a grandiose tone, with cinematic blasts and ominous synths. It paves the way for Silent Planet to dive straight into Translate The Night. The bassy production blends nicely with the harsher guitar scrapes. Vocalist Garrett Russell is instantly firing on all cylinders, utilising harsh growls and a shouted singing style somewhat similar to Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley. Garrett transitions between the two with ease, which in turn allows the dynamic shift of clean vocals in the chorus and second verse to feel impactful yet welcome. It’s clear that Silent Planet are accomplished musicians, as Trilogy comes in with a blistering riff at blinding speeds. There are elements of their contemporaries here, such as Architects style breakdowns and ERRA influenced choruses, but it never falls prey to sounding copycat. Garrett’s repeated, increasingly anguished calls of “It’s always red, the static in my head” feels visceral, and as drums join the atmosphere is palpable before the breakdown. The stylistic choice to then have the vocals glitch out into static is apt.
Second Sun focuses much more on the melodic side, with a soaring chorus and slower atmospheric sections. It’s a well written modern metalcore track, which draws from the foundations of what Architects built, the emotional aspect of it latching onto the empathic part of your brain. Consistently present throughout Iridiscent is its impassioned and heartwrenching performance, which elevates the album as a whole. In the same vein is single Terminal, a very personal experience where Garrett recounts his time in a mental hospital. Questioning the human condition, screams are interspersed between echoing cleans; mirroring how one might cry out for help in between deep periods of numbness. The instrumentals are more reserved to allow the emotional weight to flourish, though they are still encapsulating – a testament to Silent Planet’s writing ability.
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