Album Review: Earthside – Let The Truth Speak (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group)

Cinematic rockers Earthside will release their highly anticipated second album, ‘Let the Truth Speak.’ on November 17th, 2023, via Music Theories Recordings and Mascot Label Group, worldwide.

Earthside welcome listeners to their unique soundscape with a very intriguing opening track called But What If We’re Wrong. A track that features the fascinating talents of Sandbox Percussion, a percussion chamber music ensemble. Giving Earthside’s rocking cinematic richness a new layer, the collaboration is remarkable.

Get used to hearing fascinating and fabulous collaborations across the entire album though and the next is equally unique. Earthside enlisting the vocal talents of Keturah, a Malawian artist, and when combined with Earthside’s dramatic music, she simply soars. It is yet another stunner that exposes the soul and it goes on for nearly nine minutes, yet it never gets boring or repetitive.

Take a deep breath, it’s time experience something different. Pritam Adhikary of Indian alternative/metalcore band, Aarlon helps infuse energy into Tyranny. Yet, it should go without saying that this is another lengthy trawl through the creative mindset of Earthside. Where melody, moodiness, unpredictable progressive twists, and ethereal sounds assail the mind of the listener. Earthside’s imagination seems to be boundless and their willingness to showcase it, seems to be endless.

Though, they’re also willing to step back and let their collaborators take over. As is very much the case with Pattern of Rebirth, where Fire of the Gods vocalist AJ Channer doesn’t just guest here, he also wrote all the melodies and lyrics. The latter being particularly personal to him. A collaboration that utilises the best of both worlds, proving to be an anthemic and powerful modern heady rock hit.

The only track that doesn’t feature guests is Watching the Earth Sink and it marks the halfway point of the album. It also happens to be the longest track at nearly twelve minutes, and it also happens to be the most eclectic and unequivocal example of how sonically pleasing Earthside’s cinematic sound can be. It’s so dramatic and so layered, it elevates the mind, body, and soul. Call it what you want, but it is undeniably excellent music.

Can you believe the talent Earthside have enlisted on this album so far? Well how about the soulful vocals of Larry Braggs and the saxophonist talent of Sam Gendel on The Lesser Evil? Or the return of Keturah on Denial’s Aria? Where she and Earthside are also joined by VikKe and harp artists, Duo Scorpio. It’s almost exhausting to keep up with what this album has going on, yet it is so interesting and so unique, few won’t find themselves madly in love with it and desperate to hear what comes next.

It’s Vespers and the Russian singer Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh joins Earthside, alongside a returning VikKe, and while it is super-short (even by this album’s standards), it is delightfully ambient.

Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh also appears on the following, and penultimate track, Let the Truth Speak. Where, not content with having released one of the albums of the year already, Daniel Tompkins of TesseracT lends his immense range to yet another giant of a track. It might be the sharpest example of the progressive and technical edge that Earthside have but that is just one part of the puzzle and only by spending nearly eleven minutes in its company does the full picture become clear. A vibrant and dazzling piece of music.

Finally, it’s All We Knew And Ever Loved. Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but this is a massive track. Not just in length, but in scope and Earthside have teamed up with the uber talented Baard Kolstad of Leprous to leave every single person listening completely spent. It’s exhausting, but good gods, is it satisfying.

Words can’t do this album justice. It needs to be heard, but it also needs a serious amount of time invested into it. Only on multiple listens does the many, many layers begin to unreel. Earthside’s ambition was out of this world when it came to creating this release, and it seems likely that they’re not returning to this planet anytime soon.

Earthside – Let the Truth Speak Track Listing:

1. But What If We’re Wrong (feat. Sandbox Percussion)
2. We Who Lament (feat. Keturah)
3. Tyranny (feat. Pritam Adhikary of Aarlon)
4. Pattern Of Rebirth (feat. AJ Channer of Fire From The Gods)
5. Watching The Earth Sink
6. The Lesser Evil (feat. Larry Braggs & Sam Gendel)
7. Denial’s Aria (feat. Keturah, VikKe & Duo Scorpio)
8. Vespers (feat. Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh & VikKe)
9. Let The Truth Speak (feat. Daniel Tompkins of TesseracT & Gennady Tkachenko-Papizh)
10. All We Knew And Ever Loved (feat. Baard Kolstad of Leprous)

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