Silent Planet Tear Down The World On 'Vanity Of Sleep'

Silent Planet battle a love-affair with consumer despair in the sick & dying world of new single, 'Vanity Of Sleep'; a world not unlike our own.

Next month, Silent Planet will (finally) be touring Australia with Make Them Suffer, Oceans Ate Alaska, and Thornhill. Though, straight up, this Californian metalcore act are actually the only reason I'll be attending said tour. Not just because my love for their second record, 2016's 'Everything Was Sound' is unfathomable, but because their newer material has marked some of the best heavy releases of 2018 so far. Especially so for the genre of metalcore.

I spoke at length about their previous single, the fantastic 'Northern Fires (Guernica)' when it dropped last month (read my full run-down of it here), and this new track shows Silent Planet once again firing on all cylinders. Darkened guitar arpeggios swell into the polished yet still raw metalcore soundscapes that we expect from Silent Planet by now; with their usual rhythm and riff songwriting formula at effective play as layered guitar melodies sweep in the background over tectonic drum hits.

Yet like most of their songs, what really pulls you into the compositions are the lyrics, as well as the fun and intrigue that comes with pulling the words apart to understand the concept(s) at hand. Because with most Silent Planet tracks, the deeper you dig through the lyrics, themes and metaphors, the more you uncover and the more rewarding the overall experience is.

In this regard, 'Vanity Of Sleep' is basically the manifesto of frontman Garrett Russell. With bassist/clean vocalist Thomas Freckleton not singing on the track, the well-spoken frontman takes full vocal reigns; switching between his free poetic talking parts, striking mid-range screams, and his heavier, lower growls. Via this, the vocalist lets loose on what he feels ails the hearts, minds, and souls of our often selfish and bleak modern world. The philosophical and anti-capitalistic sermon that Garrett hands down here pulls from authors such as Noam Chomsky and Chuck Palahniuk; past Silent Planet songs (namely 'Dying in Circles' and 'Inhabit the Wound'); alludes to the words of Mr Robot protagonist Sam Esmail; references a hauntingly beautiful Many Rooms song, and pulls from various Biblical passages of Genesis, Mark, Psalms, and Exodus. (There's even a small section about halfway through that's spoken in Hebrew too). With this in mind, 'Vanity Of Sleep' really seems to be Garrett expressing desperate measures in desperate times for us to get back to what's real in life; a call to action to return to our roots and true identities to ensure we find a more fulfilling existence.

While that all probably sounds preachy or "woke", I assure you that it isn't it. It's a heartfelt message from a genuine band of not just how the system betrays that which it's meant to protect and serve, but also of how our compassion and love must prevail. It's heavy and heady stuff, perhaps, but I'd expect nothing less from Silent Planet by this point in terms of sonics and lyricism.

At this stage, I'm honestly just counting the days until Silent Planet's third album drops - it's gonna be later this year, no doubt. Each new song released makes me even more excited for it, and 'Vanity Of Sleep' is a perfect fill-in for that (hopefully not long) wait.

Make Them Suffer, Silent Planet Oceans Ate Alaska & Thornhill Australian tour 2018 dates:

Fri 10 August – Valhalla, Wellington, NZ (18+)

Sat 11 August – Galatos, Auckland, NZ (18+)

Fri 24 August – Capitol, Perth, WA (18+)

Tickets: http://www.makethemsuffer.com.au/