I SEE STARS

Michigan's I SEE STARS helped pioneer "electronicore" with their electronic-based hardcore music. The group broke out in the mid-2000s with catchy-yet-heavy songs that blended hardcore aesthetics with a novel, electronic style. Now, roughly two decades later, they're still making waves in the heavy music world and creating music that's imaginative and unique.

Now, I SEE STARS have returned with "THE WHEEL", produced by David Bendeth, out on Sumerian Records. To say this album is greatly anticipated is not hyperbole, since it's been nearly a decade since their last full-length release.

As is the trend in music today, the band shared a handful of songs off the album before its release — including "Anomaly", "Drift", "are we 3ven", "D4MAGE DONE", "SPLIT" and "Eliminator" — and those songs, brimming with metalcore aggression, truly represent what this album has to offer.

Following a 28-second instrumental intro that features the sounds of a spinning wheel, "THE WHEEL" sets off with a bang, as the album's title track offers a noisy introduction with chaotic, electronic sounds and crushing riffing before lead vocalist Devin Oliver breaks in with a brutally heavy, screamy vocal delivery. "THE WHEEL", both the song and entire album, offer a futuristic style with complex instrumental compositions, passionate vocals, introspective lyrics and plenty of amplification.

Listening to "THE WHEEL", the album, takes the listener on a modernistic journey through cutting-edge electronics, innovative song structure and weaving storylines. Some of the album's standouts include "SPLIT", where Oliver shows off his talk-sing talents in what's almost a nu-metal-meets-metalcore style, and "Lost It" featuring PALAYE ROYALE, which is a refreshing, melodic anthem. The latter is one of the most commercial-sounding songs on the set, in a good way, in that its hooky chorus and swelling riffs should appeal to a wide range of listeners. "Anomaly" is also melodic enough to appeal far and wide, offering a metalcore anthem with a lush chorus and beautiful textures.

Elsewhere, "Afterdark" is a gentle, acoustic ballad that sounds totally different from everything else on the set, demonstrating this band's ability to span genres. "Curtain Call" wraps up the set with an atmospheric, noise-filled metalcore ballad that also shows I SEE STARS' softer side.

Considering that I SEE STARS waited for nearly 10 years between albums, there were high expectations going into "THE WHEEL", and they firmly delivered. From start to end, "THE WHEEL" never gets boring or sounds monotone, and it also shows that this band continues to grow as the decades pass.