You open your phone and there's a text from unknown number that reads: "Babe, wake up - Snooze have harsh vocals now". It's from me. I'm here to tell you that Snooze, one of my favorite math-rock/metal bands on the planet, have harsh vocals now. I'm also here (in a seamless transitional dimension between your hypothetical smartphone and this blog) to tell you that, beyond the harsh vocals, I KNOW HOW YOU WILL DIE, is also down right excellent, seeing the band digging deep into what has always made them great and bringing forth a more ambitious and even more emotional version of their sound. If you're looking to cry while listening to some really interesting and engaging time signatures, then look no further - this is the album to beat in 2025.
I don't expect "On a Precipice" to be out by the time this review goes up but I'll use it to explain my points above. It's hard to believe this track is not even four and a half minutes long, as it contains not only everything I love about the album but about Snooze at large. It kicks off with one of the grooviest bass riffs I've heard in a long time, intensely danceable and dynamic while still eliciting a head scratch if you try to keep up with its pacing. The track, in Snooze fashion, slowly builds up around this riff, adding the vocals layers and harmonies we know and love before the track explodes into chuggy, but tasteful, aggression. As the track develops though, it goes bigger than it would on previous releases (perhaps only second to the explosive middle of Familiaris), layered with lots of synths, competing vocal harmonies, and more groove than should be possible.
Near its end, this tension and "excess" is resolved via a mighty, evocative, and haggard scream that would not have happened on previous releases but which perfectly transforms the track's energy into new emotional approaches. I love it so much; it builds on the heavier edge that was always present in Snooze's music and amplifies the painful catharsis that is at the core of so much of the band's music. Speaking of, while this release doesn't hit quite as hard emotionally as Familiaris (an album I have yet to listen to without crying), it feels more fleshed out and mature, a more complete work that includes heights of joy, pits of sadness, and flashpoints of intense anger and passion. Alongside additions to music, Snooze have also expanded their palette on this release, creating something with more staying power.
I have so much more to say, like describing the massive smile that the transition to "Wondered" elicits or how beautifully the album opens or the closing track which encapsulates everything I said in this review and more. Suffice it to say that I. LOVE. SNOOZE. There aren't many bands with which I feel an emotional and musical connection as deep as this and if any of you thought that Familiaris and Still were their peak, I am glad they are proving you wrong. Snooze is going places and I will follow every step with diligence.
P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Cameron Grom on this post. I never met you but your music meant so much to me. Rest in peace. You would be so proud of what your family is doing.