Currents – The Death We Seek
Release Date: 5th May 2022
Label: Sharptone Records
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Metalcore, Metal, Progressive Metalcore.
FFO: Before I Turn, Imminence, Polaris, Invent Animate, Silent Planet.
Review By: Mike Leighton
Relatively new to the metalcore scene, Currents, have very quickly become a personal favourite of mine for their specific flavour of music. Hailing from Fairfield, Connecticut, Currents was formed back in 2011, and after several line-up changes, we are left with the current line-up: Brian Wille on vocals, Chris Wiseman, and Ryan Castaldi on guitars, Christian Pulgarin on bass, and Matt Young on drums! Since their inception, Currents have released 3 Extended plays (Victimized (2013), Life // Lost (2015), and I Let The Devil In (2018)), and 3 albums (The Place I Feel Safest (2017), The Way It Ends (2020), and The Death We Seek (2023)) to include this release.
Currents bring their own unique, and extremely consistent blend of metalcore to the table with every release, and The Death We Seek is no exception to that fact, besides taking their tried-and-true sound to the next level with elevated, and albeit, grandiose musical as well as lyrical composition. This is also the first album that guitarist, Chris Wiseman, mixed the vocals himself, and it is beautifully apparent. Currents are known, not only, for their crushing musical tones, blistering drums, and sweeping lead guitar riffs, but the topics they choose to cover in the lyrics. The lyrics are what made me a fan from the start because not only do they touch on more sensitive topics (such as mental health, loss, and losing oneself), but the way there are written is in a way that really makes the listener reflect inward on themselves. Aside from that, the lyrics are written in a very poetic manner, so they keep the listener engaged, even when the song does not follow the normal verse/chorus/verse combo method.
Ever since the release of The Way It Ends in 2020, when the world all but ended, I have been eagerly awaiting the next entry into this already shining discography. So, without further ado, let’s dig into The Death We Seek, Currents’ newest release!
The album starts off with the crushing guitars, and ethereal ambiance of the title track, The Death We Seek. Currents brings together everything they are known for just to let it explode on this track. If this track alone doesn’t garner new fans, I don’t know what will! Once the vocals begin (sung and unsung), it is immediately apparent that they have improved since the last release. This song, from a composition standpoint, is extremely strong because it is easy to follow lyrically and musically, making it is easily accessible for new listeners. From a lyrical standpoint, Currents haven’t missed a beat. The Death We Seek seemingly focuses on an individual that continues to fight to protect something that is dear to them, but in the end, when it’s too late, they realize that it was for nothing. The one they fought to protect and to love, wanted them to fail since the beginning. This is an all-too-real topic, especially for me, because it’s human nature to resist change even when it will negatively impact us. We fight, and we fight, and we fight until we realize we can’t change things as they have turned out. Call it naivety, denial, or bravery, I’m not sure, but what I do know is that we as humans encounter this much more than we care to admit, and it’s painful.
Living In Tragedy, the second track, begins with some very groovy, crunchy guitar riffs accompanied by interesting synth effects. Then enter Wille’s vocals where we can plainly see his ever-growing range, from the lows, to the mids, the highs, and some beautiful cleans. Living In Tragedy has something for everyone, and not only does it follow a smooth structure, but it also has some very well-placed experimental elements that blend extremely well. Next up, Unfamiliar, starts with some spectacular lead riffs by Wiseman, and then leads in a cleanly sung verse, again highlighting Wille’s singing range (and how far he’s come since The Place I Feel Safest). A little over 2 minutes in, we get our first taste of some soloing by Wiseman, and he nailed it! Unfamiliar is another extremely accessible track for new fans! This is a song to check out!
So Alone, starts out in a similar fashion to The Death We Seek (not a bad thing). I really appreciate this track because it almost feels like a story track, less introspective and more of what you hear is what you get. Lyrically, I get the vibe that something has gone terribly wrong, due to the decisions of an individual, and now, for another group, they must band together to survive, or else they will perish. A very unique song, lyrically, for this band! The next track, Over and Over, is another great track because, musically, it showcases a more experimental side of things. There are some fantastic musical choices from Wiseman and Castaldi that really shined on this track. From the overall sound to the little riffs here and there that the listener can hear, this is a song that I believe will age well.
Beyond This Road is another track just like Unfamiliar, that is easily accessible for new fans. Nothing crazy on this track, but in the big picture it adds to the story and overall sound of the album. Next, Vengeance is a track that really surprised me when it released because it didn’t really have a standard song structure, but it also was heavier than anything Currents had released up until this point. Emotionally, you could sense the anger behind the vocals; lyrically, it has inklings of being politically charged. Musically, it grabs the listener by the shirt and shoves them into oncoming traffic; a track that is bound to get the crowd going during live performances. Vocally, Brian Wille really nailed the lows. Gone Astray opens with some ethereal, symphonic elements followed by some nice, airy vocals. Almost sung with a sense of desperation, you can sense the urgency and emotion in Wille’s delivery, adding another level of complexity to the impact of the track overall. 2 minutes in we get one of my favourite breakdowns on the album; it has everything from fantastic growls, fast blast beats, crunchy riffs, and that almost symphonic piano in the background is icing on the cake!
Remember Me, the album’s ninth track, opens with some very memorable strummed clean guitars chords, over muted drums before crashing all around the listener. For me, this track makes me want to sing along, and just reflect on life. Lyrically, I see it as being about someone that has fallen from grace, while they were desperately trying to fix things in their own life, but, ultimately, were unable to. This goes back to the opening track in a way because it talks about change and trying to bring about change only after it’s too late.
The final track, Guide Us Home, might be Currents best track to date. A magnum opus of sorts. Emotionally, it’s hard not to feel chills throughout this track. Musically, it has everything that a fan of this band, and metalcore could want; the structure is flawless. Guitars, drums, and the vocal delivery mesh so well, and it has an overall sense of building the entire song until it climaxes (like when waves crash onto the side of a mountain). This is Currents showing us everything they have, and they did it flawlessly. Eventually leading into a seamless, and elegant guitar solo by Chris Wiseman, and a vocal key change that could shake even the strongest man to his bones, Guide Us Home, is a beautifully crushing song; one I believe to be about redemption and forgiveness after trying so hard to change things that have already come to be.
This album is flawless, and a heavy contender for album of the year.
(5 / 5)
