Review: Currents, I Let The Devil In (EP)

Currents - I Let The Devil In
Rating: 9/10
iTunes

​  Currents are one of first bands I ever got into upon entering Connecticut’s vast music scene a few years ago, when they released their EP Life//Lost. I vividly remember sitting down with that record and falling in love with the depth and integrity of the band. Fast forward three years later, and I’m still absolutely blown away by seemingly everything this band does. I find it hard to believe that Chris Wiseman will ever write any riffs that don’t completely shred, or that Brian Wille will ever put to page a lyric that won’t sit well with any mood.

Coming off their debut full-length, The Place I Feel Safest, released last year, it was hard to tell what the band would do next. Would they go back to the destructive and immorally heavy themes featured on past records such as Victimized and Life//Lost, or would they keep moving in the direction of a complete emotional rollercoaster, compacted with speed bumps of diabolical riffs and crushing melody?

It’s apparent that the band are just starting to show what they can do as soon as you start I Let The Devil In. “Into Despair,” being the first track and only single, proves the band have taken a heavier approach than any other record they have done, while adding in components of the previous record, a rewarding feat on their end. I saw Brian debut a few more pigsqueal-styled vocals firsthand at the band's holiday shows, so hearing him show that off immediately on the new album wasn’t a surprise. It’s just one example of how every member has varied their approach to this record. I cannot even imagine being Ryan Leitru and producing “My Disguise.” The song has some pretty awesome callbacks to Life//Lost’s title track while providing the catchiest chorus I’ve heard in metalcore all year. Saying “My Disguise” is the biggest highlight of I Let The Devil In would be an understatement. I cannot get enough of this song. “Feel The Same” is a melodic dream, achieving a euphoric state of metalcore Currents share with Architects. It’s one of the most welcome surprises on the record. I went into “The Rope” expecting something blatantly heavy in the vein of “Hanging by a Thread,” and while it does pack that same punch, it also comes layered with more emotion and creativity than the band ever exhibited on Victimized.

My only complaint is with “Forever Marked,” which feels almost identical to “Feel The Same,” making it a somewhat disappointing closer. That’s not saying the song is bad; it just feels misplaced on the track list. Overall, Currents is proving to be one of the best melodic metalcore acts of the new wave, up there with Wage War and Silent Planet. I Let the Devil In isn’t shy about its ties to Currents’ past output, but they only serve to show have far the band have come since those early recordings. If you haven’t caught the wave they’re riding in on yet, you’re going to want to, soon.

- Dakota G.