Candiria’s dance of progression with hardcore, metalcore, jazz and rap has seen them through death, devastation, and anguish for over two decades. It’s also seen them finally release another album, the first in six years and the tenth in their long line of full-length albums, one that sees them all over the map in the most hectic way possible.
That is not a bad thing. If you are at all familiar with Candiria, you know that they were experimenting with jazz in earnest long before Dillinger Escape Plan had ever formed. Whereas the latter band would go on to provide this as a means to show the strength of their approach in relief against the jazzy interludes, Candiria’s jazz fusion has been far more earnest and entirely “the point” from the outset. While it may seem funny to hear horn sections in and among the heavy metalcore that Candiria are certainly capable of (and have proved again that they are a force to be reckoned with on this album), they are not some fun diversion; rather they trap the listener and force them to enjoy it in line with the rest of the conveyor line of ideas that the band has for the listener on this album.
There is a lot more on display here than jazz: electronic and noise simulation and experimentation provide accents and denouements as well as brief respites in rapping territory, but the most apparent aspect of this album is the dissonance between melody and metalcore. It’s as though instead of melding melodic singing and aggressive vocals ranging from yelling to flat out screaming, vocalist Carley Coma is exhibiting an inner struggle of which he consistently lands on either side. No one emerges the victor, but from the author’s own perspective, it forces the listener to choose sides, and in this case all hopes were placed on the aggressor rather than the melodic singer. There are times when it works regardless of this, such as on the dynamic single “Mereya”, and absolute gem “The Whole World Will Burn”.
The struggle on this album stems from the hopes that a particular type of approach wins out over the other, lest it be drowned out by the diametrically opposed component. What parts do work though, will keep the listener coming back for more and more. And ultimately, in terms of experimentation and flawless execution, this is an album that has just established its place against all the defenders and pretenders.
While They Were Sleeping Track Listing:
01. While They Were Sleeping
02. Mereya
03. Wandering Light
04. The Cause
05. Forgotten
06. One Of You Will Betray Me
07. Opaque
08. The Whole World Will Burn
09. Behind These Walls
10. With Broken Bones
11. Ten Thousand Tears
12. Servitude
Run Time: 49:07
Release Date: October 7, 2016
Check out the track “While They Were Sleeping
