ALBUM REVIEW: The Surface – Beartooth
It’s a well-known story: after he left ATTACK ATTACK! in 2012, Caleb Shomo started his own musical project. Despite the rotation of band members throughout their history, BEARTOOTH have earned plenty of critical acclaim, including for their 2014 debut Disgusting and 2018’s Disease in particular. However, the music has always been extremely sad lyrically, as Shomo unleashed his inner demons. The darkest record by far was 2021’s Below, which was an extremely raw album, but when Riptide was released last year the main thing that fans noted was its lyrical determination to get up fighting again. After Shomo had made some changes in his life, including getting sober, it was clear that the next BEARTOOTH album wasn’t going to be a sad one.
The Surface starts with its title track. It’s a juggernaut of a song, with guitar riffs from Zach Huston and Will Deely that punch you square in the face. However, it’s not all heavy screams. The chorus is that of a pure rock song, with Shomo proudly declaring that “All my worries were a waste of time“. The band have never sounded better; this is a new chapter for BEARTOOTH, and it has got off to a brilliant start. Riptide was already a great song, with its catchy chorus and fantastic drumming from Connor Dennis, but on the album it sounds even better as it feels right at home. Whilst it is more rock than metal, there are still enough screams to satisfy those fans of the older, heavier BEARTOOTH sound.
Of course, the album isn’t perfect. Doubt Me does slightly fall into a cliché, with Shomo telling people to “Don’t ever fucking doubt me” over a generic rock riff to boot, and Sunshine!‘s use of an acoustic guitar during the chorus doesn’t quite work either. However, sandwiched in between those two songs is The Better Me, which features country singer HARDY and works better than it should as his vocals are mixed with Shomo‘s to give the track an edgier sound. Also in there is recent single Might Love Myself, whose production means it sounds softer than the previous singles. However, there is still room for a heavy metal breakdown, again proving that BEARTOOTH haven’t lost their edge.
BEARTOOTH have got some backlash for changing their sound and experimenting with different genres in recent years, but What’s Killing You should silence that. It sounds exactly like a song that would fit nicely onto Disgusting or 2016’s Aggressive. The production of the album is brilliant too. It helps that it was done by Shomo himself, as has been the case for all BEARTOOTH albums. He is an expert by now; the album runs smoothly, and even the songs which don’t quite hit the mark don’t affect the record’s overall thrust and pacing.
One of the highlights of the album is Look The Other Way – a slow acoustic-turned-rock song that showcases the best of Shomo‘s voice and a rawness that isn’t heard often as it sounds like he is close to tears. What Are You Waiting For is a call for the listener to get up and chase their dreams, whilst My New Reality experiments with synth rock a bit, which excitedly hints that the band are not done yet with pushing the boundaries of what they can create. Closer I Was Alive sees Shomo looking back on his life, and how “I didn’t just live, I was alive“. It is a mid-tempo rock song with a euphoric chorus about embracing life and making sure you truly live it because you never know what could be around the corner.
Overall, The Surface is a fantastic new chapter in the book of BEARTOOTH. Whilst a couple of the songs don’t quite hit all the right notes, the rest of the album is masterful. It combines older sounds with newer ones to create a record that will satisfy old and new fans. The pacing is brilliant, and the production means that the album stays consistent sound wise. The band do try new things, but these just hint at what’s to come, which leaves the future open. BEARTOOTH have come a long way since 2012, and it is a joy to see them finally finding the light after so long in the dark.
Rating: 9/10
The Surface is out now via Red Bull Records.
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