You Can't go Back

Sarin

From their Bandcamp page, "the album was written in the wake of several crumbling relationships, […]
January 19, 2021
Sarin - You Can't go Back album cover

From their Bandcamp page, "the album was written in the wake of several crumbling relationships, the record centers on the conscious effort towards change; recognizing behaviours and circumstances that make joy scarce, and working to limit their hold on life. The album's lyrical themes are present in the tonally dense and memorable song structures that build tension throughout, creating an energized and uplifting feeling atypical for the genre. Although "You Can't Go Back" is imbued with enough silver linings to make the album an inspirational listen, the process of change - and all its agonizing facets - is never far from view." The album contains six tracks.

"Cold Open" opens the album, with slow and heavy tones. The vocals are shouted at first, but are somewhat lost in the mix at times. There is also a weighted dissonance in the guitars, and they pick up in intensity towards the end. "When you Melt" is twice as long. Fat, crunchy guitars open this slow and heavy song. The sound then drops to ambient tones...clean guitars here and there. Heavy accents are then hit, gaining in speed, leading to some moments of melody, and more of that Post Rock sound.

"Reckoner" opens with more of that heavy, muddled sound. The vocals paint a bleak picture, as do the instruments. The riffing is unusual, meaning that they meld several styles together to create their unified edge. "Thick Mire" begins with some feedback and eerie guitar tones. A steady marching comes after that. This groovy track is unlike the others. The weighted and aggressive sound is still there, but this has more straightforward sound. The sound drops to just some bass guitar notes around the half-way mark, before picking back up with pick scrapes and other techniques not often used in music today.

"Otherness" is a shorter song with more clean tones. Hope springs eternal here, but if you even whisper the word, it might be gone forever. A charming melody is built above the bass lines with some lead guitar notes, but there is still that feeling of darkness, embodied by the heavy riff that follows. "Leave your Body" closes the album. Following some easy opening tones, a lumbering riff comes in and destroys everything. It eases up, then it's full throttle, with some melodies present. But when the harsh vocals close in, it's back to that heavy dissonance. It builds to a crescendo towards the end, with a return of the melodic guitars.

This album was a very unique listening experience that could go one of two ways. On one hand, the songs can sound disjointed from the band's use of various techniques that are often competing, and leaving you to wonder if there is hope alive or not. On the other hand, it's ingenious that they are able to compose the odd structures that they have on the album to make it cohesive in the end. I am going with the second explanation of the two here, and this was quite a profound listening experience for this reviewer. My only question might lie in who this music may appeal to? The answer is: Metalheads looking for something off the beaten path, or who are not content with standard song structures.

8 / 10

Excellent

Songwriting

8

Musicianship

8

Memorability

8

Production

8
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"You Can't go Back" Track-listing:

1. Cold Open
2. When you Melt
3. Reckoner
4. Thick Mire
5. Otherness
6. Leave your Body

Sarin Lineup:

Unknown

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