156/Silence – Narrative
Release Date: 2nd September 2022
Label: Sharptone Records
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Genre: Hardcore, Nu-Metal.
FFO: God Complex, Orthodox, Foreign Hands.
Review By: Ryan Payne
156/Silence is a name you’ll more than likely have heard or seen pop-up throughout social media, and if you’re from America, they would have more than likely supported some of the heaviest bands in the hardcore scene. The band established their presence and made a name for themselves over the year and are now set to release their long-anticipated 3rd album “Narrative” under Sharptone Records. The quintet from Pittsburgh have taken a very experimental approach to this record, adding and mixing elements that weren’t previously featured in past releases, while still keeping true to the bands original sound. The production on the record is also an improvement from the previous record, making every aspect of this album shine in the light it deserves. Guitarist Jimmy Howell had this to say when asked about the album:
“Narrative’ to me is our most cohesive album to date and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve created. It was written almost directly after Irrational Pull during the pandemic, during a time where we didn’t know what the future of this band would be. We just wanted to experiment and write something different than what we had done before.”
While “Narrative” takes a very strong influence from hardcore, the album almost has a more nu-metal feel about it with some hints of doom. Some of the tracks really drag themselves out, almost to the point of losing the intended edge it was hoping to deliver, while other tracks bring a whole new life to the listener, delving into the aforementioned hardcore influences and adding a range of different aspects from other genres. Musically, this album could potentially be a hit or miss depending on your preference of music and how much of it you’re willing to delve into. There are loads of tracks and small parts throughout that I absolutely love, but the rest definitely leaves me wishing there was more to the songs. The vocals help redeem this by consistently delivering a very aggressive display throughout the record but are then let down by the several spoken worded sections that are thrown into the mix; a part of 156/Silence’s signature sound is the use of these vocals but for me, it just puts everything to a standstill. The occasional singing sections on a couple of tracks were nice to hear and a nice way to break things up. It’s very simplistic and the approach, again, has a very nu-metal feel about it and was very welcoming to listen to.
“Narrative” is definitely going to be an album that divides people. Older fans will definitely love the new record and will take the direction they’re heading with pride, but I feel it’ll be an acquired taste to newer fans, especially going into the album with the mindset that it’s a hardcore record. I look forward to seeing the success this record brings them and hope it pushes them into new territories in the future. 
(3 / 5)
