Soundstill - Before The Sunset Ends

Soundstill

Before The Sunset Ends
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

sI’m intrigued by the cover art from the album Before The Sunset Ends by Soundstill. It’s not an abstract piece of art I can interpret. There is a story there. A guy with a briefcase is walking towards the sunset in a vast open field. That begs questions in itself. The most perplexing and disturbing aspect of the whole picture is that his shirt seems to be covered in a copious amount of blood. Is this guy a sloppy hit man or did he just come out victorious against a horde of zombies? Either way I nominate Soundstill for having the most thought provoking art work. 

Soundstill has been around in some formation since 2006 and is currently comprised of Chris Adams (vocals), Josh Cother (guitar/bass), Terry Justice (bass/guitar) and Tyler Hoekstra (drums). Their music is founded in metal and have some similarities to bands like Stone Sour, Korn and Mastodon to name a few. I realize those are disparate influences within the genre of metal but you can hear them all if you listen carefully.

After spending some time with Before The Sunset Ends I think the majority of fans of metal will enjoy what these guys bring to the table. The band can go from really heavy to sensibly poppy and sometimes in between. Before The Sunset Ends starts off heavy with Silver Tongue. A wave of white noise from guitars swarm out of the speakers along with some notable double bass drum action. The vocals vary from what you might call “normal” to blood curdling screams. Throughout the duration of the album this is a technique that is revisited. 

Some of my favorite moments were the unexpected deviations. Take for instance the tumbling toms and descending guitars riff that happens a little more than half way though on “Guarded.” The band doesn’t always have to have their distortion on as you hear on “At Sixes & Sevens” and they can also ascend to high peaks as they display on “Silent Static.” Occasionally the band veers towards songs that have more mainstream viability such as on “Goodbye Till Then” and “A Chance To Breathe.” 

Before The Sunset Ends is a fleshed out album that isn’t perfect but still good. I thought the band was at their best when they experimented and got really heavy - you may or may not think the same thing. Either way I encourage you to give Before The Sunset Ends a spin.

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