There is little dispute that Eleven Eyes is a killer single. Aggressive, achingly catchy, and featuring Architects’ Sam Carter as a guest vocalist, it’s an obvious recipe for success.
Sadly, with a debut as immense as Dead Ends, there’s a lot riding on this new release and the sound is a significant departure from what was expected. With the loss of vocalist Thomas Debaere, and a few tours behind them, Heights have moved into less euphoric, more plodding territory.
Alex Monty’s yells are undoubtedly passionate but his overly pronounced lyrics seem unremarkable and much of the original atmosphere has been lost. In Transit is strikingly dark, and The Noble Lie and Windowless both try to fill the emotional void with poignant instrumental sections, but these efforts seem somehow shoehorned in and the contrasts are more jarring.
It’s a disappointing turn from a band whose debut showed them to be capable of nailing blisteringly brutal and crashing crescendos in one gloriously nonchalant breath.
