Beartooth maintains quality while looking to the light, without plateauing or stagnating.
October 17th, 2022
Tyler Poirier
Note: This is a draft technically, and while no part of my opinion will likely change I will probably edit this to articulate it better. Its my AOTY site mini review of the record, so as such it also grades out of 100, a system I find can create contradictions too easily, so obviously that will change too at some point. But yeah if you want to read it now while theres less to read, be my guest.
This album is interesting.
I think it was going to be obvious that there would be critics. The idea of Beartooth, after the grooving and chugging storm of desperate anger and darkness that was Below, and a general preference for darker lyrical content and FILTHY guitar parts, Caleb constructing an album that was more a pop metal project, with positivity, or at least the light visible at the end of the tunnel paired with the desire and drive to get to it, was going to rub some people the wrong way.
Now lets be honest, do all of the hooks, riffs, breakdowns, outdo Below? No, but then again look at it this way, Below and The Surface, both in their album art, their tone, their music, are a story in two parts, or at least the first two parts of a story. Below is the journey into the deepest pits of Hell to slay the Demon King, and The Surface is like the fight to make it back out alive with every demon youve ever had in your mind physically hunting you down. I usually dont like to say "if I were ___ I wouldve" because how fuckin pretentious is that? But I will say, I'm surprised, even though these songs are very personal, that Caleb didnt use allegory to translate the experiences into an attached concept storyline. These two albums feel like the metal albums of old in their imagery, and would take to the idea like a fish to fuckin water.
Lets however get the cons out of the way so that I can praise what this album did right some more:
Its a pretty big step closer towards pop-metal as its main genre, not hard rock with metalcore elements: This actually ISNT a con to me, I think if you think of the two albums as parts of the same thing, meant to be played together? It almost balances out the sometimes obligatory-feeling heavy moments on Below.
The Hardy Feature just barely holds on: I think this song tried to do what sunshine does, keep people guessing, because even though they technically know whats coming next, like Sunshine proved, the "Beartooth formula" of old still can produce a groundbreaking song that can inform how similar artists write their future material for YEARS to come, if Caleb lets it get a little crazy. A little crazy is GOOD CRAZY. WE WANT IT. A beartooth song that has some genuine country thrown in there? That sounds AWESOME, right? It certainly does to me, evem though I dont actually like country generally. And honestly, I had forgotten about Hardy before this, and so I had no bias going in. It was good, just one of those times where instead of the feature carrying, you kind of wish the feature would stop throwing the song off balance. I still would give the song a 72 though, the song pulls through despite its faults and I think Hardy.s voice is alright
The stylistic changes arent always as... aesthetically pleasing?: The switchups between the heavier and lighter bits arent as cohesive, which both is to this records benefit and detriment at times, and sometimes the heavier bits just seem like they are desperately trying to be heavier to compensate for the overall lighter tone
The album seems short: I think its because Ive gotten used to listening to below with the two extra deluxe edition songs, which clocks in at 14 original tracks and a 50:05 runtime, as opposed to 11 songs that clock in at 37 1/2 minutes, and also with on average The Surface being 15 seconds shorter per track, and 0 tracks making it past the 4 minute mark.
Okay now overall, despite this things, I'm going to rate objectively just a few points less than below, but subjectively I think these albums are equally good, this album employs equally effective hooks, doesnt insist on reprising the breakdown to outro most songs (my qualm that lead to me rating Below a 99 not a 100), and is more comfortable switching between styles, because its less apologetic about it, and doesnt try to mask it.
This album really allows Calebs lyricism and vocals, and therefore the contents of said vocals and lyrics, to shine more than ever before, and to get the more optimistic message across better. The album also feels comfortable being bright, as well as being more self deprecating than self eviscerating. Also I am happy to say that this album, despite my comments about its length, has no filler. Which is the one thing Ive forgiven about Below that by all rights I shouldve docked points for back when I rated it in 2021/22, I wont name the tracks because this aspect doesnt bother me anymore and I dont want to call them out with undue cause, but a couple songs occasionally feel like they are halfhearted on a full album listen, still good, but yet without the soaring melancholy or bitter ferocity of the albums stronger choruses those songs can feel like they werent quite completed in time, or were intended as deep cuts or to be well recieved (and likely sound greater) in a live setting. The Surface deftly sidesteps this issue by making sure even the more muted choruses go off like a bomb.
Also in general, I remember when Below dropped some people didnt like how the mix felt grating to them at higher volumes, and while I never experienced the issue with that album, its worth noting Ive not heard anyone have the same problem again with The Surface.
Overall its a 95-97 from me, not quite where Below was, but also definitely was another album that delivered on the expectations I had for it, and Id say easily earns a spot in my top... 12? albums of 2023. I havent actually sat down and thought about it yet, but it certainly wouldnt fall below a top 20.
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