I See Stars arrived on the national scene at a time when the turnover rate for heavy bands in the alternative scene was at an all time high. Their debut, "3D"..."3D" and did not return until the group’s second album, The End of The World Party was nearly complete. Cleans vocalist Devin Oliver had lost his creative counter-balance, and the results were a mixed bag of songs skewing more pop than anything else. Fans stayed true, however, and the band returned stronger than ever with 2012′s Digital Renegade. That album found the band dropping their pop sensibilities to further embrace their EDM influence, and though there were growing pains, listeners could tell the band was onto something big. Now the group’s fourth album is ready for release, and I’ll tell you right off the top it’s without a doubt the best album of their career.
Having spanned the rock landscape from radio-leaning singles to mosh-worthy anthems, I’m not sure anyone knew quite what to expect when I See Stars first announced plans to release New Demons earlier this year. The title was decidedly darker than anything the band had released, and it followed a year that found them making headlines for controversy (arrests, Radke) almost as often as their music. Add to this the messaging released by the band defining their ‘electronic hardcore‘ sound in July, and it’s safe to say intrigue was at an all time high for the career of I See Stars. The first teasers promised a heavier sound, which is indeed true, as well as more electronic influence, which is also true. What it did not and quite possibly could not reveal, however, is just how masterfully I See Stars have blended these two elements on their latest release.
Opening with an initiation sequence that plays perfectly into the band’s larger-than-life sound,New Demons introduces the world to a far more confident and focused I See Stars. They’re no longer trying to reach for broad appeal, but have chosen instead to further explore the possibilities of merging the realms of EDM, hard rock, and yes, just a pinch of pop. It’s an album built to be enjoyed as a complete listening experience, but any song plays fine on its own as well. There are no radio songs or throwaway singles, and as much as that might hurt marketing to some demographics it makes for a more fluid (and enjoyable) listening experience. I See Stars aren’t out to grab you with a single hook or breakdown, they want to win you over on the strength of all those elements combined, and they succeed with flying colors throughout the course of New Demons.
The fact that I See Stars have crafted such a complete listening experience makes it difficult to pinpoint individual standout tracks and dissect them. “Follow The Leader,” the album’s first true song, does a great job of setting up the rest of the release by offering at least a glimpse at everything the group has in store on the tracks ahead. The two biggest changes noticeable in their sound is creative use of EDM and the immensely improved vocals of both frontmen. Johnson is deeper and more ferocious than ever without resorting to the constant flood of layers that were heard on Digital Renegade and Oliver keeps his high notes in check throughout. His soaring vocals have always been a signature of the group, but having been tempered just a bit they fit better with the overall sonic offering being created by the band.
Call it flipping a switch or finally putting the pieces together, but at some point in the last year I See Stars turned a corner in their career that set them on a trajectory for genre takeover unlike any release in their lives up to this point. New Demons is the record fans have always believed I See Stars were capable of making, and it sets the bar considerably high for any other group hoping to cash in on their electronic hardcore sound. I’m not foolish enough to think it will win over every naysayer, because the group has not changed entirely, but instead they have evolved over time into a better (and heavier) band that is really going to catch people off guard in the year ahead.
In short, New Demons kicks a lot of ass.
I See Stars. in my eyes, has always been a one-trick pony, or at least a one-album pony. Aside from their, in my humble opinion, stellar debut album, I See Stars hasn’t been releasing the best material on their following albums. The End of the World Party was an absolute letdown and a trainwreck that, honestly, made me not want to listen to the proceeding album, Digital Renegade. Digital Renegade wasn’t as bad as The End of the World Party, and it definitely showed some level of songwriting development among the pretty-boy sextet (I’m looking at you, Electric Forest), but it wasn’t quite what I See Stars needed to stand out from being another generic Asking Alexandria-wannabe band. As a part of me has been holding on to hopes that I See Stars will release something as good as 3-D again, I reluctantly bought New Demons off the Google Play Store and came out very surprised.
I recommend listening to this album with a really good sound system packed with a kicking sub, because I See Constellations really knows how to take advantage of stereo panning and ball-shaking bass, as shown on the intro/soundtest “Initiation Sequence.” It doesn’t let up there, though. In fact, the electronics and production shown throughout this album are phenomenal and stay surprisingly consistent throughout. Gone are the days of random synth breaks that shatter the entire flow of a song (that’s a lie, they ARE there, but they don’t feel forced, and they work well with mostly every song that has one), extremely cheesy synth riffs, and anything relating to being the next Asking Alexandria. If anything, I See Stars took what they did right on Digital Renegade, and made it, in a sense, mature. I hate using the term “mature” in music, because good music doesn’t need to be mature (Blink-182 pre-self titled), but if you’re familiar with what I See Stars has released in the past, New Demons definitely is a huge improvement over anything they've done recently.
The first real song off the album, “Ten Thousand Feet” starts out with a Major Lazer-esque synth lead that jumps straight into open string chugging that we’re all so fond of, backed with screamer Zach Johnson. Zach himself has definitely grown to be one of my favorite screamers in the scene, with his br00tal lows and his surprisingly large vocal range standing out more than ever on New Demons. Behind this force of screams and Korg synths consist of the following in no particular order; a pair of guitars that do enough to keep your attention throughout the album with fancy trills, riffs, pinch harmonics, guitar solos, and fat breakdowns that will make your neighbourhood riot in no time, a bass guitar (maybe, it’s hidden in there somewhere, you just have to believe!), and a damn fine drummer. I’ve always found everyone in I See Stars to be good at what they do instrumentally since I first heard 3-D many moons ago, and this album isn’t any different than the preceding ones.
Of course, everyone knows I See Stars for their vocalist Devin Oliver, and his God-like shrilly girly voice, and is it more shrilly than ever on this album. I’m not meaning to talk bad about him though, in fact, I love his voice. I love his voice a lot more than I should, but he did a damn fine job this time around. His highs paired with Zach's screams make for a perfect counter-balance that will keep you relatively interested throughout the album, despite Devin having some shortcomings in a few songs.
I like to compare this album to The Devil Wears Prada and their release of their album Dead Throne, which was a HUGE step in the right direction for their careers as musicians. Dead Throne wasn’t without it’s faults, and neither is New Demons. Despite how creative and fun some of the songs can be, not everything will be perfect in I See Starsland for this album. Some choruses are awkward to listen to, or sound downright lazy, as well as one or two synth sections being substandard, but all these problems are mostly found on tracks 5 and 7, so steer clear of “Violent Bounce (People Like ¥øµ)” and “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore” and you have yourself a very enjoyable metalcore album that will feed your inner high schooler metalcore desires.
In the end, I See Stars’ New Demons proves to be an incredibly fun album that will have you going back for more, whether it’s for the catchy leads, vocals that only a castrato can reach, or the need to (head)bang. Despite a slightly rocky middle portion of the album, New Demons is a fantastic improvement over anything I See Stars has released in the past 3 years. I'm still hoping to see a new 3-D be released, but I know that is a pipe dream that will never happen... but, until then, I'll gladly say New Demons is a fantastic album that shouldn't be overlooked by naysayers.
Having spanned the rock landscape from radio-leaning singles to mosh-worthy anthems, I’m not sure anyone knew quite what to expect when I See Stars first announced plans to release New Demons earlier this year. The title was decidedly darker than anything the band had released, and it followed a year that found them making headlines for controversy (arrests, Radke) almost as often as their music. Add to this the messaging released by the band defining their ‘electronic hardcore‘ sound in July, and it’s safe to say intrigue was at an all time high for the career of I See Stars. The first teasers promised a heavier sound, which is indeed true, as well as more electronic influence, which is also true. What it did not and quite possibly could not reveal, however, is just how masterfully I See Stars have blended these two elements on their latest release.
Opening with an initiation sequence that plays perfectly into the band’s larger-than-life sound,New Demons introduces the world to a far more confident and focused I See Stars. They’re no longer trying to reach for broad appeal, but have chosen instead to further explore the possibilities of merging the realms of EDM, hard rock, and yes, just a pinch of pop. It’s an album built to be enjoyed as a complete listening experience, but any song plays fine on its own as well. There are no radio songs or throwaway singles, and as much as that might hurt marketing to some demographics it makes for a more fluid (and enjoyable) listening experience. I See Stars aren’t out to grab you with a single hook or breakdown, they want to win you over on the strength of all those elements combined, and they succeed with flying colors throughout the course of New Demons.
The fact that I See Stars have crafted such a complete listening experience makes it difficult to pinpoint individual standout tracks and dissect them. “Follow The Leader,” the album’s first true song, does a great job of setting up the rest of the release by offering at least a glimpse at everything the group has in store on the tracks ahead. The two biggest changes noticeable in their sound is creative use of EDM and the immensely improved vocals of both frontmen. Johnson is deeper and more ferocious than ever without resorting to the constant flood of layers that were heard on Digital Renegade and Oliver keeps his high notes in check throughout. His soaring vocals have always been a signature of the group, but having been tempered just a bit they fit better with the overall sonic offering being created by the band.
Call it flipping a switch or finally putting the pieces together, but at some point in the last year I See Stars turned a corner in their career that set them on a trajectory for genre takeover unlike any release in their lives up to this point. New Demons is the record fans have always believed I See Stars were capable of making, and it sets the bar considerably high for any other group hoping to cash in on their electronic hardcore sound. I’m not foolish enough to think it will win over every naysayer, because the group has not changed entirely, but instead they have evolved over time into a better (and heavier) band that is really going to catch people off guard in the year ahead.
In short, New Demons kicks a lot of ass.
I See Stars. in my eyes, has always been a one-trick pony, or at least a one-album pony. Aside from their, in my humble opinion, stellar debut album, I See Stars hasn’t been releasing the best material on their following albums. The End of the World Party was an absolute letdown and a trainwreck that, honestly, made me not want to listen to the proceeding album, Digital Renegade. Digital Renegade wasn’t as bad as The End of the World Party, and it definitely showed some level of songwriting development among the pretty-boy sextet (I’m looking at you, Electric Forest), but it wasn’t quite what I See Stars needed to stand out from being another generic Asking Alexandria-wannabe band. As a part of me has been holding on to hopes that I See Stars will release something as good as 3-D again, I reluctantly bought New Demons off the Google Play Store and came out very surprised.
I recommend listening to this album with a really good sound system packed with a kicking sub, because I See Constellations really knows how to take advantage of stereo panning and ball-shaking bass, as shown on the intro/soundtest “Initiation Sequence.” It doesn’t let up there, though. In fact, the electronics and production shown throughout this album are phenomenal and stay surprisingly consistent throughout. Gone are the days of random synth breaks that shatter the entire flow of a song (that’s a lie, they ARE there, but they don’t feel forced, and they work well with mostly every song that has one), extremely cheesy synth riffs, and anything relating to being the next Asking Alexandria. If anything, I See Stars took what they did right on Digital Renegade, and made it, in a sense, mature. I hate using the term “mature” in music, because good music doesn’t need to be mature (Blink-182 pre-self titled), but if you’re familiar with what I See Stars has released in the past, New Demons definitely is a huge improvement over anything they've done recently.
The first real song off the album, “Ten Thousand Feet” starts out with a Major Lazer-esque synth lead that jumps straight into open string chugging that we’re all so fond of, backed with screamer Zach Johnson. Zach himself has definitely grown to be one of my favorite screamers in the scene, with his br00tal lows and his surprisingly large vocal range standing out more than ever on New Demons. Behind this force of screams and Korg synths consist of the following in no particular order; a pair of guitars that do enough to keep your attention throughout the album with fancy trills, riffs, pinch harmonics, guitar solos, and fat breakdowns that will make your neighbourhood riot in no time, a bass guitar (maybe, it’s hidden in there somewhere, you just have to believe!), and a damn fine drummer. I’ve always found everyone in I See Stars to be good at what they do instrumentally since I first heard 3-D many moons ago, and this album isn’t any different than the preceding ones.
Of course, everyone knows I See Stars for their vocalist Devin Oliver, and his God-like shrilly girly voice, and is it more shrilly than ever on this album. I’m not meaning to talk bad about him though, in fact, I love his voice. I love his voice a lot more than I should, but he did a damn fine job this time around. His highs paired with Zach's screams make for a perfect counter-balance that will keep you relatively interested throughout the album, despite Devin having some shortcomings in a few songs.
I like to compare this album to The Devil Wears Prada and their release of their album Dead Throne, which was a HUGE step in the right direction for their careers as musicians. Dead Throne wasn’t without it’s faults, and neither is New Demons. Despite how creative and fun some of the songs can be, not everything will be perfect in I See Starsland for this album. Some choruses are awkward to listen to, or sound downright lazy, as well as one or two synth sections being substandard, but all these problems are mostly found on tracks 5 and 7, so steer clear of “Violent Bounce (People Like ¥øµ)” and “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore” and you have yourself a very enjoyable metalcore album that will feed your inner high schooler metalcore desires.
In the end, I See Stars’ New Demons proves to be an incredibly fun album that will have you going back for more, whether it’s for the catchy leads, vocals that only a castrato can reach, or the need to (head)bang. Despite a slightly rocky middle portion of the album, New Demons is a fantastic improvement over anything I See Stars has released in the past 3 years. I'm still hoping to see a new 3-D be released, but I know that is a pipe dream that will never happen... but, until then, I'll gladly say New Demons is a fantastic album that shouldn't be overlooked by naysayers.