Silverstein spent some time in 2024 recording at Joshua Tree in the desert. The band has credited a lot of inspiration making this album and recording this album from the energy there. What came from those sessions were not one but two albums. This is the first one Antibloom, with the second record Pink Moon arriving later in the year. The band consists of members Josh Bradford and Paul Marc Rousseau on guitar, Paul Koehler on drums, Shane Told on vocals, and Billy Hamilton on bass.
The record begins with “Mercy Mercy” which goes straight from the sound of a phone buzzing on vibrate to Shane screaming “watch me bleed” The chorus of this song is huge and catchy, and shows the potential it has to begin a live set in the future. The end of the song samples a message being left for someone before a crushing, almost industrial heavy outro, unlike anything the band has done before.
“Don’t Let Me Get Too Low” starts right up with singing. It’s a song most will be familiar with as it was the third single from this album. The chorus is again very catchy as Shane talks about getting pulled out of “the grave I dug myself” It may be unintentional but the opener talks about him getting buried. It’s an interesting connection I made, that could be coincidental, or there for the listener to piece together.
“Confession” like “Don’t Let Me Get Too Low” starts right up with vocals. Like that song it should also be familiar to the listener as the second single from the album. When the music drops out and Shane sings “call this my confession” it’s a really gorgeous early moment. The song again mentions “you’re pulling me under” staying true to some consistent lyrical themes on the record. “We’re just putting bullets in already broken hearts” is another painfully beautiful lyric from Shane in this song.
“A Little Fight” is a short song on the album that it is very upbeat, despite very heavy lyrics where Shane exclaims “there is nothing to fear when you’re living in hell” as he paints a picture of someone driving off the road. He ends by exclaiming “it’s too late now it’s too late!”
“Skins & Bones” was the lead single from this album, and has already become a brilliant staple for them live. The song was written for Shane’s ex-girlfriend, Julia MacIssac, following her tragic murder. The song features a spoken word passage that gives me chills every time. My favorite part is the lines leading up to the bridge “and as I reread this tattered book, I won’t weep when I get to the end. I’ll turn to the first page and read it again”
“I Will Destroy This” features an intro that sounds unlike anything they’ve done before, with an eerie lead that carries into the verse as well. Shane sings in the chorus “trust me I will destroy this” before taking it a step further in the brutal bridge “this is me I fuck it up and I self destruct”
“Stress” begins with a very cool riff, that gives me numetal vibes. The same riff comes back again in the choruses of the song. The bass tones from Billy in the verses are dirty and played very loose. The bridge of this song begins with a beautiful vocal moment before Shane screams “give me that stressed out music” The song overall is very unique for the band, and I’m interested in the potential divisiveness it may cause with fans. I hope they choose to play it live though, because it rips.
“Cherry Coke” adds to the already long list of ballad classics Silverstein have made through the years. Shane sings the crushing lyrics “What’s the point of waking up, it’s time to go enough is enough” to end the choruses of the song. The song gives me the same closing vibes as Senses Fail’s “The Priest And The Matador” lyrically as Shane asks “call the doctor call the cops. I was alright but now I’m not”
With the record being 8 songs and coming in at a quick runtime, I believe it makes the replay value of this record very easy to digest and gives us something to look forward later this year when Pink Moon is released. There is a shocking amount of variety throughout this album and some sounds that the band has never tried or explored before. They do a good job of staying true to the sound that has made them successful for 25 years as a band, which they will continue celebrating through 2025. If the next installment from the band is as good as this one, the albums will feel like a well deserved victory lap for the band.
8.2/10
Silverstein- Antibloom
Release Date: 2/21/25
Tracklisting:
- Mercy Mercy
- Don’t Let Me Get Too Low
- Confession
- A Little Fight
- Skin & Bones
- I Will Destroy This
- Stress
- Cherry Coke
Written by Adam Backus
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