Virginia-based project SEER SEEKER unveil a gripping hip-hop, post-hardcore, and nu-metal synergy on new album TO THE CORE. The release impresses in its introspective lyrical themes alongside dynamic productions, seamlessly moving from hip-hop intensity to enjoyably raucous rock and post-hardcore pursuits.
“STARLIGHT” opens the album with riveting, atmospheric momentum. Tranquil piano and glistening flickers combine with a warm crackling for a scene-setting appeal. Emotive vocals follow with cohesive enthrallment, maintaining a steady drive into the cinematic, woodwind-laden flourishing of “DIRT TO DUST.” “I’m getting to the core of my heart,” the vocals declare, furthering “I’m finally conscious.” Lyrical catharsis exudes breaking free from one’s chains, ear-catching alongside the vocal escalation and industrial-forward guitar tones. The murmured vocal segment, referring to a rampant sense of distrust, compels as well within this darkly invigorating production.
“CHASE GOLD STAY COLD” plays with more anthemic spirit, strutting a confident vigor in pursuing the grind and making moves. A darker pop production enamors initially, expanding into a soaring title-touting hook with shades of Linkin Park; it serves as an accessible, infectious lead-in to the album’s standout centerpiece, cementing its strength with the heavyweight one-two punch of “GONE TOO LONG” and “LIGHT IT UP.”
A variety of consuming stylistic interweaving is apparent throughout the album, and “GONE TOO LONG” is especially evident of SEER SEEKER’s eclectic prowess. Ghostly, wordless back vocals and slabs of industrial guitar distortion venture into a hip-hop vocal energy, reminiscent of a cross between Aesop Rock and El-P. “Gone for too long,” yearning, melancholic vocal passion lets out during the chorus, assuming a more emotive rock ferocity. “GONE TOO LONG” is a decisive success, impressing in a range of moments — from the dexterous hip-hop charisma in the verses to the erupting rock moodiness in the chorus.
“LIGHT IT UP” further embraces whirring doses of guitar distortion, also succeeding with a fusing of hip-hop vocal ferocity and intensified post-hardcore enthusiasm in the central hook. “So we ride on the tip-top of the world, no you can’t rule me,” the triumphant lyrics convey, concluding with a title-referencing conciseness with replay-inducing effect. Its relentless, charged-up charisma shifts with intrigue into the darker eeriness of “ALL THE WAY,” moving into a section of the album with brooding atmospherics.
A firmly captivating finale, “FOUND IT” chronicles the winding paths in one life amidst a process of self-discovery. “Then I found my way,” the vocals let out alongside buzzing synth components, shifting into an intense hip-hop and post-hardcore intertwining past the two-minute turn — and then into a final, hypnotic “found my way,” refrain. A success from SEER SEEKER, TO THE CORE channels a versatile aesthetical appeal alongside compelling lyrical introspection and consistent pay-offs to palpable structural climaxes.
