Sleepwave – “Broken Compass” [Album Review]

Broken Compass, the forthcoming release from Sleepwave, a relatively new band formed by former Underoath front man Spencer Chamberlain, is due out in September. I was not quite sure what to expect here and I was more than pleasantly surprised when disc opener, “Paper Planes,” populated my headphones. A slow piano intro quickly morphed into a fuzzy guitar-driven tune accompanied by pounding drums and soaring vocals that really gets the party started.

For those that want to know, the best way I can best describe the band’s sound is something along the lines of a hybrid cross between Pierce The Veil and Filter. I know that sounds odd, but they have the post-hardcore edge and vibe of Pierce The Veil mixed in with the infectious, driving grooves of Filter; it kind of makes you want to sway your body while banging your head.

Vocally Chamberlain is brilliant; with a powerful emotionally-laden delivery layered atop the intoxicatingly hypnotic rhythms, these songs are really brought to life. The thing I like most about Broken Compass though, is that the more I listened to it (and I listened multiple times while writing this), the more I dug it. It is so multi-dimensional that every time through I found parts I had not heard on previous listens.

This is a super-solid rock/post-hardcore release that I think fans are really going to dig. Broken Compass has a ton of energy, will keep people coming back, and is a musically rich offering from top to bottom.

Track Listing:

01. Paper Planes
02. Rock And Roll Is Dead And So Am I
03. Inner Body Revolt
04. The Wolf
05. Hold Up My Head
06. Whole Again
07. Disgusted: Disguised
08. Replace Me
09. Repeat Routine
10. Through The Looking Glass
11. Broken Compass

Run Time: 38:14
Release Date: September 16, 2014

Check out the song “Through The Looking Glass”