EARTHSIDE - Let the Truth Speak

EARTHSIDE

Album: Let the Truth Speak

Genre: Progmetal

Release Date: November 17th, 2023

Country: USA

Label: Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Records.

Band-Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

When I had the great pleasure to see EARTHSIDE live at ProgPower Europe this year, who caught the audience with their epic music and entertaining show, I already knew I wanted to write about their new album, but even though having spent a lot of time with this beauty (in a visual and musical sense) over the past weeks, the right words didn’t want to come to me. And what would be better? Writing a book to cover everything happening within this opus, or just keep it short and simple, to not take away the joy of discovering from the listener?...

So let’s start with some general informations: “Let the Truth Speak” saw the light of day on November 17th, 2023, and is the second album by the US based Progmetal quartet, who invite guest singers for different songs instead of having one main vocalist. While their first record “A Dream In Static” was more told from the “I” perspective, the new one focusses on the “We” thematically, also reflecting how much the world has changed over the 8 years since their debut.

The instrumental opener “But What If We’re Wrong?” quickly conquers the prog-loving heart with colorful percussion, full sounding drums and beautiful string arrangements, that shine bright thanks to the well-balanced, detailed production. "We Who Lament" moves on rhythmically vibrant and melodically expressive, also featuring the touching vocals of Keturah, and together they take us further through the wide fields of Cinematic Prog, sometimes harsh and dissonant, then again peaceful and dreamy, but always as a strong unit and with a wonderful flow.

Number 5 is the second instrumental track, and even though the title “Watching the Earth Sink” might point downwards, we reach a musical climax here. What they do in absolute perfection is building up arcs of suspense by evolving the respective song's main motivs in countless, light variations to draw the listener into their mesmerizing soundscapes.

Afterwards, there’s a moment when one could think the album is over, and I guess many bands would have put the rest of the record into a Part II, but we’re just in the middle of our journey right now, and EARTHSIDE still have some great things in store for us. "The Lesser Evil" comes along with strong brass sections, bringing in uplifting vibes and some jazzy moments.

The following “Denial’s Aria” is the weakest song on the album for me personally because things get a bit too repetitive, even though I think there’s clearly an audience for which this could become a gateway track into their work. And they keep the best for the great finale, as for the last two tracks ("Let the Truth Speak" and "All We Knew and Ever Loved"), the compositions grow even bigger and more diverse, so when the last tone has faded out, this epic often makes me press play again.

Throughout the 1 hour and 17 minutes of playing time, EARTHSIDE paint marvelous sound pictures for our ears, with the compositions being as colorful and dense as the stunning cover artwork. The overall atmosphere is thoughtful with a certain melancholy, yet the music comes along strong and powerful thanks to the terrific rhythmic and mesmerizing dynamic in their song-writing and production. All-together, "Let the Truth Speak" is a great listening pleasure, highly recommended to dive in :-)

Written by Katha