After consistently putting out smaller releases over the past few years, Rochester nu-core band Perspectives have just dropped their debut full-length record Coalescence. Its release date of August 18th landed on the band’s five year anniversary and its contents show how far they’ve come in that time.

While their 2020 EP Home is a cohesive and capable offering that showcased their potential, Coalescence is aptly titled in that it sees Perspectives blending their influences into one of the strongest releases in their genre this year. With their primary reference points including Slipknot, Cane Hill, Motionless In White, Sevendust, and As I Lay Dying, there is a caustic metal sound at the core of each track, but they use different songs to take it in different directions. “Frontlines” is an epic track with a chant that packs a punch, “Suffocating” and “Marionette” include soaring vocals in their choruses that contrast their vicious screeches and growls, and the closer “Remembrance” is definitely the most touching song the band have put out to date, ending things on a gentler note without losing the overall vision of the release as a whole. Lyrical themes of addressing mental illness, taking care of yourself, and calling out fake people all shine through and hit hard, driven further by evocative instrumentals and a variety of vocal styles that all resonate emotionally, most often through punishing heaviness and aggression.

Perspectives will be celebrating the new album at their record release show this Saturday August 26th at Water Street Music Hall in their hometown of Rochester. They’re also set to play Hallowfest in Syracuse on September 30th and then head out on a short tour with Dread Engine in early October, with dates in Brooklyn NY, Baltimore MD, Hallam PA, and Columbus OH. Listen to Coalescence here and keep up with all things Perspectives here!