By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
There are many different bands that helped influence the punk/rock and metalcore scene, and Silverstein is one of them. They've been around for quite a long time, having released an impressive eight studio albums. I just get into this band only like a few months back, and I've gotta say, they are quickly making the ranks in my top 20 bands. Except for maybe "Short Songs", all of this band's albums are solid. They've made rock masterpieces in "I Am Alive in Everything I Touch" and my personal favorite album by them, "This Is How the Wind Shifts". Now the band is back with their newest album, "Dead Reflection", which shifts them further in the more accessible rock direction.
One of the things I appreciate about this album, much like many other Silverstein releases, is it has a clear concept. This album has a clear arc in discussing how hard it can truly be to find happiness in your lowest points. Lead singer Shane Told expressed how he realizes for many of his listeners that they may be struggling to find something good to hold on to. He wants to show that you do have to go through hell sometimes to find it. This idea is established instantly in "Last Looks", which has the compelling lyrics "I'm killing off the lead in a one man show". This immediately establishes the character we follow in this album as someone who is broken and going through deep struggles. Musically this song is excellent, as it has some intense guitar riffs and Shane's reliable singing and screaming are both present. An even better track appears in "Lost Positives", easily one of my favorites off the album. I like the experimental synth rock that the band does on this track; it really pays off and adds to the song's dark atmosphere. This is one of the most interestingly written break-up songs out there as Shane discusses how he realizes his relationship isn't really working but if he would be lying if he said he wanted it to end. This song is incredibly catchy as well, with a chorus that will get easily stuck in your head, and Shane's vocals are some of his best here."Ghost" is a straight up jam, filled with hard-hitting guitar work and some excellent drumming. Something this album does often is use different images of reflections in order to build on the theme of the album. Reflections in the context of this album are distorted images of ourselves we make up to try to make ourselves happy, but those corrupted realities are part of what causes us to be unhappy. This track addresses a close friend of the protagonist. Shane states how he still sees parts of this person that could be who they really are, but at the end of the day they're only a pale image.
"Aquamarine" is easily the best song on this whole album, far and away. I love everything about this song musically; it perfectly combines punk/rock and metal to make a unique sounding song. The breakdown is perfection, and Shane's vocals are nothing short of beautiful. His voice reaches some amazing heights here. This could be a typical break-up song. But there is a very well-developed tragic story of how a piece of jewelry that was meant to be a symbol of a beautiful relationship ultimately became a reminder of how the relationship between these two people faltered: "Youʼre two thousand miles away, betrayers never change/A ring in a box but not from me/Itʼs still no diamond, itʼs aquamarine/Youʼll never find your place of peace/Youʼll always regret this". This story made me feel deeply for the protagonist, as there is so much vivid detail put into this track, especially in the visual imagery. This is easily one of the best songs of the year. "Mirror Box" is another big favorite of mine, especially as it experiments more in the pop/rock vein. The chorus is bound to stay in your head, and the way that Shane naturally shifts his singing voice into screaming is executed perfectly. "The Afterglow" is punk/rock to the extreme, from the fast-paced guitar riffs to the lyrics that are nostalgic in nature. It could be cliched if done wrong, but instead the song come across as extremely fun. It helps that Shane has another highlight vocal performance here; his voice has always naturally worked with this genre. I wouldn't have complained if more of the album was like this. This song is easily the most lighthearted on the album; it's placed fittingly as a nice reprieve from the overall very heavy content the rest of the album has to offer.
Speaking of dark content, "Cut and Run" has an excellent dark rock vibe to it that fits the subject of the protagonist accepting they can't run from their problems any longer and have to come to terms with the tough things they're going through. "Secret's Safe" really brings that idea home in a tragic way. This song is another one of my personal favorites, as it adds to that idea that we create fake images of ourselves. The protagonist is fully aware that his fake self hurts him more than he realizes. The beginning of this song has some beautifully written visual imagery: "I dug myself out of my grave, a box of pine and dirt remain/And every insecurity, I’ve left there with it/I laughed at every word you said, with sparkling eyes/A handsome head and confidence." Wow, those lyrics just leave me speechless every time. It helps that this song is a softer rock track; this let's Shane's emotional vocals bleed out through the whole song. Right after this we get a pretty fun metalcore song in "Whiplash". The album ends off with the most brutal song lyrically, "Wake Up". This song is heartbreaking, as the protagonist is dying and seems to realize that he's going to hell. He knows he's done awful things, and he now accepts his fate. There's something beautifully redemptive in this song though, as the song ends off with the lines "Wake up,wake up/There's somebody calling". It almost seems as though there is hope for the character to redeem themselves. And I think that might be a message the band wanted to get across to listeners, too. This song isn't preachy in its message, which is no matter what you've done, you deserve happiness and can find it. That makes this song touching in a way. That's why this song is another major highlight. It helps that the track is a beautiful ballad as well, and the way it builds to an epic climax makes it a powerful listen.
One of the only songs on this album that doesn't work for me is "Retrograde". This was a bit of an underwhelming lead single. It's not the most interesting lyric-wise, and musically it is all over the place and disorganized. I don't hate "Demons" (it's actually awesome musically), but so many songs this year have used demons as a metaphor for the struggles that we go through, so this song can't help but feel a little cliched. Still, I can't believe the roll that Silverstein are on. They have made their third masterpiece in a row. The theme of finding hope through dark times is needed in the period we are going through right now. I love the hard-rock sound of this album, as well as Silverstein actually taking some risks in doing some experimentation. "Dead Reflection" is a superb album, and will undoubtedly end up on my top 15 releases of the year!
Favorite Songs: "Aquamarine", "Wake Up", "Lost Positives", "Secret's Safe", "The Afterglow", "Mirror Box"
Least Favorite Songs: "Retrograde"
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