technical

Earthside Let the Truth Speak 2023 Album Art

Releases November 17th via Music Theories / Mascot Label Group

Experimental Progressive Metal thinkers, Earthside defied every boundary you could imagine within music with breakout release “A Dream In Static” in 2015 and highly acclaimed singles like “All We Ever Knew and Loved”. It is a record that fused philosophy, metaphysics, Prog, Ambient, and instrumentals into a long sonic journey and was highly well received by the Metal community. Anything new and profound, whether it be emotionally or mentally significant seems to hit the Metal community’s ears just right. “Let the Truth Speak” is another genre breaking mind bending record that I know will be another critically acclaimed hit. Was this record worth nearly breaking up the original base lineup? Earthside answered that question upon completing this hugely ambitious undertaking and finding themselves as inspired as 16 year olds finding their path for the first time.

Anytime an album is rooted in deep thinking, self reflection, or claims to be a mirror to the existential self, I am eager to delve into it. This is an album I didn’t expect to like, as I really didn’t know many of the guest musicians and I expected something quite self-important and pretentious. I thought it might be overtly composed and too chaotic, and it proved me wrong immediately. This album is a lot to take in, yes. It is as complex as you may expect, but not overwhelming. It is supremely balanced with ambience and detailed with melodic guitar parts and passionate rhythms and weird time signatures. It gives you breaks and room to sit in the feelings their trying to convey, before it mesmerizes you with technicality. You can tell it took a ton of mind power to craft this album, because there are so many bits and pieces that almost don’t fit together, but it works. “Who We Lament (featuring Keturah)” reminds me of Devin Townsend’s album Ki that featured Chee Aimee Dorval in the best way possible. It starts atmospheric and then absolutely explodes and the vocals reflect this inner heaviness of self loathing with a bit of a surprise fry vocal. “Tyranny (featuring Pritam Adhikary of Aarlon)” is a huge standout for me and is one of the heavier songs on the album with pounding technical rhythms and chesty voicing reminding me of the band Klone. “Pattern of Rebirth (featuring AJ Channer of Fire From the Gods)” is a great single track that brings a familiar more Metalcore sound, with some nicely melodic spoken word and long sung choruses.

This album seems darker and moodier than previous releases. There’s melancholy and even anger in instrumentals “Watching the Earth Sink” and “Vespers (feat. Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh & VikKe)”. This emotional arc seems to be fitting and reminds me of the heaviness of Russian Circles at times. The drums stand out instrumentally to me and really carry this album to be something special, besides all the unique guest vocalists. Ben Shabrom is a brilliant drummer, but there are parts on this album that exceed even his usual flair and heavy hitting. The addition of Baard Kolstad on “All We Ever Knew and Loved” is a smart decision as he is incomparable and the hardest hitting Prog drummer I have ever seen. Kolstad was possibly an influence throughout the album, because many parts mirror his bombastic crazy rhythms and airy cymbals. Overall, the diverse instrumentation is great and interesting throughout, but I find myself complaining what everyone complains about in Modern Music: It needs more bass. For the most part, Ryan Griffin is inaudible and under utilized. Without bass, the tone of the music is completely lost and always lacks dynamic range. The only song he shines on is the Jazzy-Djent breakdown “The Lesser Evil (feat. Larry Braggs & Sam Gendel)”, and while it is a brilliant Seal and Skinny Puppy crossover, it’s sad that’s the only time we get chunky and crazy bass lines.

This album is a lot and is certainly not accessible to the average listener, but Prog nearly never aims for accessibility, but emotional diction in technicality. Earthside have created something very complex, once again rising to their self proclaimed crazy ambitions. I like this album and a lot of tracks on it. It flows extremely well without getting repetitive or stale. It’s unlike anything I have ever heard, but definitely has familiar aspects the more diverse listener can appreciate it. I don’t know if I’ll ever listen to the album in full again, however. It seems to be one to appreciate a couple times, but doesn’t have anything that sticks with me. It’s a great album technically and has profound meaning, but it lacks a recurring theme or something to keep me engaged.

Lyrically, I found it boring and without distinctive messages to pull from so it stays in your head. It just leaves you once you’re done listening. Maybe, that’s the point. Maybe it’s about enjoying the moments while you have them and then moving on from the past. Either way, it is worth a listen and maybe true Earthside fans will consider it a classic. I don’t necessarily love it, but I understand and appreciate what they were trying to do with “Let the Truth Speak”. I like it, but I expect way more content with the next release and an arcing theme that resonates longer than a play through.

Rating: 6/10

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Danny Estrin- Voyager

Danny is a powerhouse with a pretty impressive range used widely over Voyager’s 20+ year career. He uses an eclectic throwback sound to the New Wave days in the 1980’s and layers in Power Metal influences and occasional grunts. It’s an incredibly complex vocal that I don’t think anyone else could replicate. You hear him sing one note and you know it’s him immediately. No matter what style Danny may emulate, Voyager is an absolute party to listen to and a truly happy Metal band with sick riffs and catchy vocals.

Devin Townsend

My favorite singer of all time and one of the most technical on this list. Devin has a four octave range that he utilizes in over twenty styles of music and 25 years of creating. He is a vocal shapeshifter, switching from harmonic screams to tenor vocals in the smoothest transition. It is astounding to watch what he can do with his voice as he goes to the absolute limit in every performance, “Screaming until he tastes blood” doesn’t get any more brutal than that. I will definitely cover this astonishingly beautiful artist throughout my entire career as a Metal writer. He is one of the greatest singers, forget genres, forget tastes and subjectivity, he is supremely talented.

Phil Romeo- Countless Skies

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Tom Englund- Evergrey

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Joseph Michael-Witherfall

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Dan Cleary- Striker

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Daniel Helman- Lost Horizon

One of the more unknown names on this list, Dan Helman led the great Lost Horizons from Sweden and created a sound that would go on to influence some of the newest and most powerful singers today. I hadn’t heard of him until Brittney Slayes of Unleash the Archers mentioned LH as an influence. The song below is an absolute vocal masterpiece of shocking proportion.

Joacim Cans- Hammerfall

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Damian Wilson- Threshold, Ayreon, and more.

Damian is one of those singers nobody talks about, and yet has one of the most distinctive voices of all time. I was introduced to Damian Wilson on Arjen Lucassen’s Star One and was blown away by his tone. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard. He goes from singing soft ballad vocals to high powerful belting. No matter what he’s singing, his vocals are angelic and crystal clear.

Mike Mills- Toehider, Ayreon

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Patrik Selleby- Bloodbound

There’s quite a lot of Power Metal vocalists on this list, not on purpose but by sheer will of talent. The subgenre of Metal just has a knack for using the best, most versatile vocalists. Patrik Selleby has that belting higher range vocal that just captivates crowds. He has so many different techniques he uses. He can do soffty tenor vocals, dipping into baritone. He can scream and wail with precise vibrato reminiscent of 80’s Heavy Metal. He can also use fry vocals to accentuate vowels. I absolutely love his style and Bloodbound’s overall sound.

Isahn- Emperor

Isahn has one of the most piercing and soul haunting screams I’ve ever heard, but his clean vocals are what truly astonished me. I hadn’t heard him sing until the release of the EP “Pharaohs” and I have craved his voice ever since. If you could ever describe a man’s voice as sultry, it would be Isahn’s.

Einar Solberg- Leprous

Out of all the singers on this list, Einar possibly has the most shocking and distinctive voice on the list. This man’s voice is breathtakingly beautiful. I don’t describe male vocals as “beautiful”, but it’s the word that comes to mind. It is light, airy, and angelic upon every note he sings. His range is just massive, reaching into the rafters with soprano operatic and epic falsetto that bring chills and tears alike. It is impossible not to listen to Leprous and not get emotional. Nobody sounds like Einar. He is absolutely sensational. He’s just a brilliant vocalist and songwriter. The song below says more than I can ever say.

Mathias Blad- Falconer

Falconer is a legendary Medieval Folk Power Metal band with quite the cult following. The band tried to hang it up in 2016, but due to a high demand, they keep returning for exclusive performances and one final album. They officially disbanded in 2020 sadly, but Mathias’ legacy lives on.

Kobi Farhi- Orphaned Land

I have always been enchanted by Middle Eastern vocals since Sting’s “Desert Rose”. It’s never been a style I thought “oh, that would work in Metal”, but it absolutely does. Kobi Farhi of the Israeli Heavy Metal band proves the unique technique fits the Western Heavy Metal instrumentation. This singing style, Mizahi or monotonic, requires a lot of control and technique to stay in pitch. His ability to switch into this and keep it perfectly within the music is spectacular. He is truly one of the most talented male singers out there.

Spencer Sotelo- Periphery

I could write an entire article about this vocalist and his range. I didn’t expect to become obsessed with his voice as it is a lot higher than I am usually into. Spencer has insane control over his instrument, able to switch from screams to falsetto to a softer vocal. He also has a nu-metal style fry rap in “Marigold” which is just sublimely executed. He’s effortless in his delivery, as with most singers on this list. His range also frequently rises to harmonics, which is one of the highest sectors in music. He is an unbelievably skilled vocalist and truly doesn’t get enough credit.

Jeff Scott Soto- Sons of Apollo, Yngwie, Trans Siberian Orchestra.

I only see this guy talked about in Prog channels and not more globally honored for some reason. Soto has a unique style that blends 90’s Hard Rock, Power Metal, and Soul aspects into one powerhouse vocal. Sons of Apollo is an American supergroup of some of the most talented musicians of all time. Soto fits this bill and the resounding emotive Heavy Metal style. He brings the melody so smoothly on top of very rhythmic music, which is hard to do. He has a massive range from Baritone to high screams, and I don’t think there’s a limit to it.

Terje Haroy- Pyramaze

Now, I know 99% of Metal listeners have never heard of Terje, making him one of the most unknown on the list, but he is a MUST hear vocalist. The power, the emotion, the clarity, and the grit of this singer is monolithic. He produces so much sound from just one held note. I have no idea how he pushes it to the limit while staying in perfect pitch. His vocals range from deep drones, to power belting, screams, and sounds I cannot even begin to describe. Pyramaze has been around for two decades and has been led by some amazing vocalists, but this guy is on a whole other level. His vocal energy could probably power the entirety of North America. The song below is one of the best vocal performances I have ever heard in my twenty two years of listening to Metal.

Markus Vanhala- Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum

A backing vocalist normally known for his songwriting and guitar playing, doesn’t get much credit as a vocalist. But when Markus’s clean vocals come in, it sets the whole tone for any track. You know it’s going to be a deeply emotional track when Markus sings. His tonal quality and breath control is astounding to me. He can hold notes for two measures without any vibrato or notational deviation. I had to include him because he is just so distinctive and such an underrated musician. After hearing him sing live in person twice, I have been in love with his clean vocals ever since. He could honestly front a band all on his own instead of being in the background.

Yannis Papadopoulos- Beast in Black

One of the craziest voices I’ve ever heard (besides Mark Slaughter) Yannis has what is best described as a Soprano Male Vocal. He is only one of the only males I’ve mistaken as a female, and that definitely makes an interesting reaction. After hearing this guy do operatic soprano, fry vocals, and crazy high screams, I never thought I’d hear him use a more beautiful and emotive vocal. Once you hear Floor Jansen sing “Ghost Love Score”, you may say it is the only version, but I highly recommend Yannis’ beautiful cover of the Power Ballad. He has immense range and one of the highest technical abilities I have ever heard. I think he’s one of those singers that could sing just about anything. So, I really want a covers album from this incredible Norwegian Power Metal band.