Reviewed by Juan Zambrano
Infinite, a new song from Burlington post-hardcore rockers Silverstein, is a catchy hard-hitting, guitar driven portrait of a seemingly endless battle of the mind.
The band sets the stage with a soft electronic introduction, slightly reminiscent of Phil Spector’s signature ‘Wall of Sound’ production. Here, the walled off electronic beats give listeners a taste of the claustrophobia felt by the song’s protagonist. The vocals and guitars enter at the ten second mark, as the first verse begins. Vocalist Shane Told describes his anxious state of mind throughout the verse, as the song’s tempo echoes his rapidly flowing thoughts.
The tempo then slows to a halt across the bridge, as Told muses that his suffering feels infinite. As the titular word is sung, the band explodes into the chorus, chanting “infinite, it’s infinite”. Through the repletion of these three words that Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford’s guitars loudly take centre stage.
This is the structure that carries throughout Infinite. The simple but effective musical equivalent of untapped rage. Building and building, until reaching its breaking point. Told is joined in rage by Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie, while low growls add to the choir of anger. Meanwhile, bassist Billy Hamilton provides the song’s simmering roots, as drummer Paul Koehler, keeps the anger fest on rhythm. While Koehler is perhaps the least bombastic musician on the track, he lends the track the necessary control.
Infinite ultimately provides the listener with a cathartic venue to release their frustrations over the chaos of life. This makes it the perfect track to feature on a week where midterms and the stresses of post-secondary loom over students at every turn.
Infinite is one of three advanced singles leading up to Silverstein’s upcoming ninth album. Titled A Beautiful Place To Drown, the album is comprised of 12 tracks, produced and engineered by Sam Guaiana. The album sees Silverstein blend contemporary sonics with the distorted guitars and pummeling drums that define their post-hardcore sound. The album will also feature collaborations with artists such as Intervals and Pierre Bouvier. If Infinite is any indication of the project’s overall quality, then fans couldn’t be in safer hands.
The announcement of A Beautiful Place To Drown comes at a special time for Silverstein, who are celebrating 20 years of having come together. For guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau, there is only one way to honour the occasion. “The best way to honour the anniversary is to keep doing what got us this far,” Rousseau said. “Being adventurous has always been part of what the band does – we keep focusing on moving forward.”
Silverstein will tour heavily throughout the year to promote the album and commemorate the anniversary. Shows will be split into three sets, including a batch of fan favourites, as well as a stripped-down acoustic set and a performance of 2005’s Discovering The Waterfront. The tour comes to Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall, on April 11. Other Canadian stops include London, Montreal and Quebec City.
A Beautiful Place To Drown releases on March 6.
Really well written!
Thank you, Joanna! Glad you enjoyed it.