Shibbster Tweets About: Sonic Skies
Shibbster Tweets About: Sonic Skies’ #DRIFTER
Welcome back! This time I’ll be tweeting about Sonic Skies - why? I was totally up for that. And: local patriotism! <3 (Hamelin you little beauty…)
Sonic Skies is a metalcore band from Hamelin, lower saxony who recently got signed to 7hard records. I knew these guys since their beginning as they and me were both working with the same producer at that time and he showed me their new songs every now and then when we were taking a break whilst working on my songs.
I have been playing and listening to loads of metal core between 2009 and 2015 until my taste of music slightly changed. I discovered that metalcore happened to be the same riffings and structures all over and over again. What made a band stand out was either their sound in terms of mixing and producing, or that they tuned lower and lower and lower or that they had a very good clean vocalist. It somehow became meaningless for me, and honestly: I stopped paying attention to new bands emerging in this genre. I already knew this cliche of using a drop-tuning, riffing around the lowest note you have in that tuning and throwing choruses with clean vocals in. It did not surprise or excite me anymore.
On the other hand: Of course, there are quite a few bands breaking those rules again and again. Many more than I probably know - but Sonic Skies is one of them. A very representative example of breaking through the today’s standards of metalcore in a very charming way. There 3 aspects in their music that I find very interesting and was excited about how they put them into place on their album:
1st: They never use clean vocals. Never.
2nd: Their riffs follow a very interesting harmonic approach in terms of changing the key of the song every now and then.
3rd: Since metalcore usually is loaded with energy until it’s compressed and brick wall limited to nonsense, bands need to figure out how to define „dynamics“ differently. Sonic Skies does that with very interesting drum arrangements without them being too complex.
So much for the introduction. Let’s take a look at their debut album DRIFTER now:
After 2 EPs (iCarus in 2013, Constants & Variables in 2014) they finally recorded a full-length! And they really splashed out on the production as they went to dailyhero recordings here in Berlin to record it. It was mixed by Marc Wüstenhagen and mastered at Maarweg Studios by Alex Kloss. (to give that a little spoiler: the sound is MASSIVE.)
Let’s dive directly into that as I really want to share my views on this record with you:
01: Refuge - Holy…
Okay. We all know this cliche album openings. Be as fast and brutal as possible, to get the listener awake. Fine - they did that too, BUT within the opening riff (first 20 seconds) the drumbeat changes 3 times and keeps you really wondering „what is about to happen next?“ It leads to a very uncomfortable verse. The riff in the verse sounds very tense and the growling bass makes you feel a little giddy actually. Those of you who know older songs of Sonic Skies will hear that Sebastian definitely improved in terms of his shouting style: it still sounds kind of aerial, but now it doesn’t lack any substance anymore. This is solid. All of that is intimidating until the first chorus kicks in. And THAT’S one hell of a glorious moment at just 70 seconds into the album:
They change the key from B-minor to B-Major, imply a very danceable drum groove and the simple melody and brutal shouting complement each other perfectly in this. The first time I heard this, I really got goosebumps. After the chorus, they lead you back again into inconvenience, making you wait for the next chorus - and that one is extended with a different chord progression in the second half, which just sounds stunning. I also love how the outro is very straight without any further experiments. This song was the perfect choice for opening Drifter.
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 4
02: Empire - Bounce bounce bounce!
YES! This main riff is a real banger. And works this well, on account of intelligent breaks and the guitars not being tuned too low (as most bands do it today…) The first verse is a nice interplay between fast beats and breakdowns. It keeps your attention and keeps your head at least bopping. The chorus is kind of easy-listening this time and gives you a little break to breathe. Cause after that it’s getting pumping again, but this time it is very straight: a simple double bass beat defines the grid as the guitars keep grooving… just until they start the fast/breakdown interplay again to lead into the chorus. By now I felt like „Okay, I know what’s going to happen next. Brutal breakdown and end of the song.“ Wrong. What follows is another change of key with a very melodic part. I love that melody in there! After that: Breakdown and ending. (Gotcha there!) This song is very bouncy as it is mostly played in halftime feel in a very fitting tempo. Crank that up to get your neighbours jumping!
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 9
03: Polaris - Cold as Ice
Okay, this song starts with a crew shout and halftime riff (again.) However, the melody and the chords sound very very cold - this might be due to the key, but to me it also sounded as if there was something missing. I like how the verse then changed the dynamics by inverting the chord progression and the fast grooves - this is quite punky! …but I didn’t expect the short clean part in there. Very intelligent twist. The chorus really spreads things out: The chords sound solid, the groove is bouncy again and the vocals hit you right up in the face. Hurts good. They turn the following opening riff into a breakdown with the same rhythmic pattern - which I think suits the riff better but it’s also a little off the rack… I think the highlight of this song is the middle section as this sounds hard and dreamy at the same time. If you’re in a moshpit, you will lose yourself. If you are listening in your room to this just like I am, you will drift away with your thoughts as it is a hard contrast (harmonically) to the rest of the song. Just until the breakdown pulls you back up and smashes your face. I like how they threw in another romantic short clean part leading to the ending chorus. This song scores with the middle section and details in my opinion as the base framing does not sound „complete“ to my ears.
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 14
04: Gears - Sounds like weapons
Although it’s not on youtube anymore (at least I couldn’t find it) I know that this song is a re-work of an older version of it. I am not quite sure when they put out the original version, but it must have been around 2014… However, this song punches you directly in the face. Straight away without prewarning and the verse is only breathing until the double bass kicks in again. Basically, this song is not really taking a break before it reaches the point where I though this is already too much. In the beginning I told you how dynamic the drum arrangements are. Around the one minute mark of this song the main riffs is played again - but this time with a too fast doublebassdrum. Technically: well played, Kudos! But it was way over the top for me that I felt tempted to skip the song actually. But making it through that part comes with a reward: a breather and a change of key! (finally, haha) This melodic part sounds kind of like they should play it in a very big arena, as the melody has the same characteristics as an anthem. The song breaks itself down to brutality again - what this time feels as if you are losing balance on a tightrope over a very deep sea. Intimidating. Overall I think from the first 4 songs, Gears is the most brutal one. A little too hard for me as I felt quite uncomfortable listening to it, but maybe this was the intention. Who knows, maybe I should ask!
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 18 (as I didn’t count the last few notes of Gears.)
05: Hearts - Setting itself apart?
This one opens up with a quite anthemic feel which sets the intro apart from basically every other song on this record. And it’s kind of cool how fluently this intro turns into a very Sonic Skies like Verse. The best thing about this verse is how Sebastian’s voice varies from speaking loudly to screaming brutally. What follows then: Finally. The off the rack metalcore breakdown. Although this is not spectacular, I did not expect this to be there at that point. What’s really cool is the harmonic change after that. Cause the chords and melody are something I totally disagree with in that context - but this is what makes it cool: It’s not like „Whatever. They changed something in the song“ no. It’s like I think about why they chose to do it like that I can’t figure it out although it’s kinda getting on my nerves hahaha! And this part is setting itself apart from the rest of the song. Like, the entire song to me sounds a bit like it was put together with bricks of different contexts with a plan - but I don’t quite get the intention this time to be honest… At least it got me thinking…
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 22
06: Loathe - Buckle Up!
I really don’t intend to be mean so make sure you get me right: The first minute of this song sounds like „mastering different metalcore cliches and teach beginners how it’s done!“ - not in an arrogant way, but rather interesting to me! Remember that we used to work with the same producer? I can totally imagine him going nuts to the opening part. Actually he was the first thing that came up to my mind when I listened to this song…
Throwing around fast beats with nasty riffs, backbeats with long chords and breakdowns chugging on the lowest string with thrown in melodic high notes - yes. Metalcore 101: well done!
Even better: as soon as I started missing the initial energy of the beginning of the song, they straight went back to the fast beat feel. I love how this song is punchy, short and not really giving you a break. Nice one! It also has a very cool music video which is totally contrasting the brutality of this song! …and it even connects perfectly with…
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 22 (no change of key in this one - SURPRISE! like I said: Metalcore 101)
07: Rosebud - Take a break.
…this song as this is starting out with a rather generic riffing and generic phrasing of the vocals over it. However the overall articulation makes it nice to listen to it. It’s not too hard and a welcoming „calmer“ after Loathe. This is a solid song including crew shouts and even a guitar solo. It fits the context of a full-length record pretty well. Nothing special, but performed well! (I really don’t like guitar solos.)
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 22 (no change of key AGAIN?! …what?)
08: iCarus - 50/50
This song is cutting both ways. The tiny melody in the beginning and in the verses is probably the most iconic one on this record and the riffing in the verses accompanies it perfectly. Also this arrangements gives the vocals (finally) a nice stage to really stand out - and they take the opportunity and perform in a very vivid way. The verses are to me by far the best thing about this song: They get me vibing to a nice grooving massive wall. What I personally never liked about this song (it was on their first EP in 2013 as well) is the chorus. I think its intention is to really breathe and open things up, which it kind of does but at the same time it sounds so stretched and can’t keep up with the dynamics of the rest. The verses set the bar just a little too high there in my opinion. 50/50. Dancing around somewhere between heavy grooving and a little too much slow stretching…
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 22 (Come on, what has happened? Three times in a row no change?)
But since they decided to rework the song and it still has this iconic melody in the verses, I decided to give it a shot as well. If you want to know how iCarus sounds like when I re-arrange it, here you go:
09: Wanderer - Writing a story
This song was already released as a single in January and made me look forward to the album.
It has a spheric intro, and comes along nicely with a verse that is slowly constructing itself before rolling fully into the groove. The next part immediately soaks me in as it really opens a door to a story ahead of me. Even the breakdown (how slow can you go champs?) sits in perfectly this time and keeps me bouncing. It is very consistent with it’s changes of key (here we go again!) and is the first song of this album that really creates pictures in my head (even without the video). The smart use of different keys really conveys an emotional energy. Despite the song being played and articulated hard again, this one can really suck you in. Floating. And the few clean notes in the end are a perfect wrap for that.
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 26 (Oops, they did it again!)
10: Reach - Creating another picture.
Okay, wow. The first minute of this song is really slapping you awake after Wanderer. The tempo in which they play their 16th note riff as well as the breakdown with 16th accents is quite fast. It’s still kind of groovy, but it also has a major touch of being frantic. This time the vocals cut through that in a very torturing way, just as if you were tilting against windmills. …the chorus this time is similar to the chorus of iCarus - given the fact, that I got the intention right… It opens up and is slowing things down - but this time without feeling like it’s stretching out. Just the right contrast to the very dark verses. I’d like to mention the unusual chord progression they used in the choruses: Kudos to that! The further development in the second chorus even creates the picture of dark clouds falling apart only to make them appear again with a nice quick end brutality riff. #nailedit
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 30 (YEZZZZ!!!!!)
11: Drifter - The title track.
You know, it’s always interesting to hear the title track of a record. ‘Cause it’s giving the full-length its name and I always like to know why. The track drifter is totally different to all the other tracks of the album. It is by far the shortest song, it has no vocals, it is not brutal, it consists mostly of programmed instruments (and a guitar with lots of FX on it.) …so why is this the title track?
It might be the case, given the fact that it is the 11th track on the album, that this track captures your current state of mind when having listened to the the first 10 songs consistently. You are kind of drifting in a dark sphere and slowly recovering from all the punches the songs gave you for around 30 minutes straight. You have lived through different stories. All of them felt hard and dark. Some had little shine sparks in there, some were just sheer brutality. It is a nice moment to have within that and serves as a nice introduction for the last track. For the arc of suspense it is the right place and the right track, but I cannot imagine that they use it (sampled or played live) during their shows. A classic „solely on the record track“. But I might be wrong on that - and happy to be proven wrong about it!
#KeyChangeCounter so far: 30.
12: Epilogue - I’m confused?
This opening riff is massive. And how they change directly into a frantic fast beat again only to change back to halftime feel is kind of messing with my head. The short part afterwards feels like being on the edge to full aggression as the palm mutes in there sound like being plucked so hard that the strings almost broke. And they are getting over that edge straight away and throw a deathcore’ish part in. What. This song is kind of hard to grab for me, as the dynamics (in terms of grooves and tempo) are changing quite fast and the drums have nice, sometimes accents in there. Even the somewhat quite part in there sounds intimidating. But the most spectacular moment happens around the 2:20 mark of this song: It gets very melodic in an epic way. Not because it’s layered much or totally different, it’s just articulated very well in the context. It feels like the open their Sonic Sky (sorry, couldn’t resist) up one last time for you to dive back into all the similar moments of the previous tracks. Although I first thought it was pretty sad, there were no vocals in this part from the very beginning it appeared to be the very right choice as I allowed that part a few seconds to take its effect on me. …and then there’s the ending. Honestly, I expected a spectacular breakdown to sum things up. But instead, the song keeps the melodic vibe and is deconstructing itself slowly and fading out. Having the last words „Does it count?“ in mind: Yes. It does. A cinematic ending of the record. It leaves me kind of confused because of the beginning but also very satisfied be being resembling to my favourite moments of this album.
#KeyChangeCounter in total: 31 (I KNEW that there was a last one!)
The overall impression of DRIFTER:
Well. This finally is a metalcore album I’d love to listen to again that’s not from a well-known band like Architects or Parkway Drive. Usually I find myself getting bored with the sea of metalcore. (as stated above). But thanks to the 3 major aspects I addressed in the beginning and putting them to good use in a smart way, this record is absolutely not boring. Without doubt: This is a hard album, but it’s also creative and that’s what makes it very good. I have to say that at some points I strongly disagree with the arrangements but who am I to judge. I even think it’s cool that I disagree sometimes instead of being indifferent to it! Thus, I did not enjoy every part of this album but the music made me listen to it consciously. The only thing that I miss on this album is a „vocal moment“. I agree that they do not need any clean vocals in their style of music. Plus: Sebastian really developed to be a solid vocalist for this band, but apart from a few very vivid moments there was no moment in particular where I thought „daaaaaamn!“ - but this might also be due to the dense production of this album. Almost everything sounds clear and transparent - there are a few parts where the sound is a little overloaded and I was not able to distinguish the chords exactly, but my overall impression is that the vocals had to pay the bill for the record sounding so massive. I think they could have been a little louder overall but this is just personal taste. …talking about personal taste: 31 changes of key within a 12 track album?! That might sound ridiculous, but I encourage you to find out yourself if you love that as much as I do or not. I LOVE THAT.
My rating overall:
07/10
Recommended! (If you’re into Metalcore, I think this is a MUST LISTEN actually…)
Favourite track:
Refuge (by far. What an impressive chorus!)
Boys, thank you so much for putting that record out. The moment I’ve been listening to it, I „rediscovered“ the genre a little again, as - like I said - I wasn’t paying much attention anymore. Congrats to your debut album, I am very excited where you guys are heading!
-Shibbster
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