ALBUM REVIEW: From A Distance – 156/Silence
Remember that feeling of being lost as a child? Be it in a supermarket or a park. The sensation of doom grows, and the vastness of the surroundings just keeps growing with it. Well, 156/SILENCE have managed to inject that feeling into their latest album, From A Distance. Although the artwork may be to blame for some assumptions, it is the elaborate soundscape that really sets this record apart from others. 156/SILENCE have worked hard to create this dark and foreboding world, with features from top-class artists to help it burst through barriers.
The opener, Control Burns, starts with a sample from the sci-fi thriller TV show Severance. Every decision on this album feels calculated as the world they’re constructing blossoms. It’s slow, with a gentle pace, like that anxiety previously mentioned. It’s not all at once: it’s creeping. As they introduce each instrument, the pacing speeds up. There’s a moment of calm and then boom, it launches into Jack Murray‘s ragged screams. It’s official, you are lost.
From the last note of Control Burns to the first of No Arms is like taking a deep breath in before breaking into a sprint. They know how to build suspense and take sonic techniques from cinema and video games to bring their world to life. No Arms and it’s accompanying video become one big cinematic chase scene for the eyes and ears. Seeing a band like 156/SILENCE own their sound is what makes it so special.
Despite their experimenting, it doesn’t leave them unrecognisable. From A Distance is one of their most diverse undertakings. Features from Tony Castrati of CRIPPLING ALCOHOLISM, and Mike Hranica of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA are at home here. Plaguing Collateral are whining and wailing guitars, along with a bass line that pulses in your skull; it’s maddening. Cannon Fodder follows, a face-melting product of the madness felt in its predecessor.
Although that ominousness remains ever-present, a few moments in the record pull the listener out of the immersion it establishes. Phoenix Dies is a great standalone piece. They have a lot to say and so many ways to say it. Sure, synths and elongated feedback make it full-bodied and stand out. But it feels somehow disconnected from the other songs and how seamlessly they flow into and connect.
From A Distance is more than a title, it carries a message about perspective. It directly follows on from People Watching. They even keep a familiar face on this new endeavour. The world-building on this project is complex and thorough, something they should be proud of. One final very satisfying element is the title track’s position as the penultimate song. From A Distance with Alex Reade from MAKE THEM SUFFER is the full-circle moment the record needs. Her angelic vocals offer a safe haven, and you’re back in the forest. The contrast between her vocals, a commanding piano and contorted screams feels like a release. It opposes that feverish panic of the opening. From A Distance is a calming hand, regulating your breathing.
Rating: 7/10
From A Distance is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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