Fallstar

Sacred Mirrors

Oregon-based metalcore band Fallstar released their newest album, Sacred Mirrors, on Facedown Records this summer, and with it, the boys bring an intoxicating blend of metalcore, technical metal, and djent, delivered with the same vivacous energy Fallstar is known to wield from album to album.

Like a live wire in your ears, every song is some measure of visceral and methodical. The listening experience is thematic and grand, like listening to a series of anime openings. That sonic strategy is highlighted in tracks like “Insight,” with roots in technical guitar and drum syncopation that blends perfectly with Chris Ratzlaff’s soaring vocals and the synth sound effects. The breakdown hits like a bag of bricks with guitars and bass blasting through the ceiling.

The entire album is driven by a blend of guitar tones that balance thunderous djent and pleasing cleans, most clearly showcased in songs like “Dischordia” and “Water House.” While there may be some predictability to the songwriting, the fine-tuning in their tone reflects their growth since their last full-length, Sunbreather, and sinks its teeth into an ever-rounding identity.

It’s also no secret that Fallstar isn’t afraid to pepper drum machines and synths into their albums. On Sacred Mirrors, they’re tastefully incorporates as accents in songs like “xSCARZx”, which starts with gritty guitar tones and electronic drums, providing an excellent motif that is catchy as hell and straight to the point.

Aside from a few overproduced moments and qualities throughout the record that lead to some campy tropes, you can’t argue that the band’s musicianship is a breath of fresh air in the current scene. Fallstar takes the listener through a sonic exploration of their most recent album and is worth checking out.