Review of Haste the Day’s “Dissenter”
Summary: A decade of silence culminates in a masterpiece of evolution, as Haste the Day's Dissenter trades nostalgia for a dark, daring, and masterfully dynamic sound that rivals the very best of their discography and opens the door to a brand-new beginning.
For many longtime fans, it’s deeply understandable to feel a profound connection to a band you essentially “grow old with.” I began listening to Haste the Day around 2006 when Stephen Keech joined. I was just thirteen, and their music has always held a tender, sentimental place in my heart for that early adolescent chapter of my life. This band walked with me through nearly a decade of listening, growing up, and maturing. Their songs kept me captive from such a young age, and even now, they still bridge my past and present with warmth and familiarity. As we all know, songs change with us as we age. The records themselves never change a single second, yet we do—and the world around us changes too. That shared evolution touches our deepest relationships with the music we love and quietly opens doors to new creative paths we couldn’t see when we were younger.
Eleven years after the heartfelt goodbye of Coward, Haste the Day has returned with Dissenter. The album carries familiar echoes of 2011’s Attack of the Wolf King, but it has matured that sound beautifully—transforming its brightness into something darker, richer, more varied, and deeply textured. This growth radiates through the musicianship, song structures, and lyrics. The record honors everything we’ve always loved about HTD while bravely taking risks that make it feel alive and vital.
The only real stumble is the opener “Cycles.” Its heavy build creates a strong, gritty tone for what’s ahead, but the abrupt ending doesn’t flow naturally into “Shallows.” A smoother transition that lets the guitar distortion ring out and fade into the next track would help.
That said, everything after that is a steady, emotional uphill climb, growing stronger and more moving until the breathtaking closer “Oblivion,” which stands tied with “Adrift” as the best song on the album. The record divides naturally into two deeply satisfying halves: the first (“Cycles” through “Liminal”) and the second (“Gnasher” through “Oblivion”).
The first half feels like coming home to the Haste the Day we’ve known and loved for two and a half decades, which is a consistent brand of metalcore that is theirs and instantly recognizable. Yet it’s far from repetitive. The riffs hit deeper and feel more textured than ever. Brennan’s chorus on “Shallows” is one of the most somber and unique choruses in their entire catalog. “Grave” and “Burn” deliver that classic bright HTD sound alongside Stephen and Brennan's vocal tandem. “Grave” gently foreshadows the second half with its ethereal verses and swirling, dreamlike instrumentation. “Liminal” ends the side on a high note with its Attack of the Wolf King energy, Garrett from Silent Planet’s solid contribution, and the most exhilarating drumming on the record.
As strong as the first half is, the second half is where the record shines its brightest. This is where Haste the Day fully reveals their evolved sound while still holding onto the soul of who they’ve always been. It’s riskier, darker, more mature, and more instrumentally and emotionally varied. The band gives us enough familiarity to understand and then gently pulls us into new, slower, beautifully textured territory. Here we get both the heaviest songs they’ve ever written (“Gnasher” and “Heretic”) and the two most sonically and vocally beautiful ones (“Adrift” and “Oblivion”).
Stephen’s voice has changed, and for the better. His screams are rawer and grittier, yet his cleans remain luminous and bright, now carrying an even deeper, more lived-in maturity that perfectly complements the music. His performance throughout is haunting and full of heart, stretching from powerful screams to wispy, shoegaze-like vulnerability and soaring, heart-piercing highs. “Adrift” and “Oblivion” are rightfully in conversation as two of the best songs the band has ever written. “Adrift” wraps you in a vast, void-like atmosphere that feels like floating through the unknown, while “Oblivion” lifts you above the clouds with gorgeous strings and a sense of hard-won peace. Together, they capture the emotional peak of the entire record, and it is within these two tracks that the band’s evolution and growth are showcased most.
Lyrically, the album matches that emotional depth. It’s about facing the truth that the world is no longer the one we grew up in. The early 2000s feel far away. Very far. Much like our evolving bond with old songs, so much has changed, yet fragments of what we loved remain. Dissenter is a heartfelt reminder to hold on to those you love and to keep them close until the end. To wade through this new and darker world side by side with those who are dear to you, so as to make it to the bliss of the next life with Christ, where this growing darkness will be left behind forever.
Dissenter is, without question, Haste the Day’s best record to date. As they approach their 30th anniversary, this album feels like the hopeful beginning of a powerful second chapter. Just like the record itself, I see their future in two halves: honoring everything that came before while fearlessly stepping into new light. Few bands consistently outdo themselves the way Haste the Day has with each new release. Because of that, I believe their best music is starting now and whatever lies ahead.
Rating: 4.8— Classic
Rating Scale:
5.0 — Classic
4.5 — Superb
4.0 — Excellent
3.5 — Great
3.0 — Good
2.5 — Average
2.0 — Poor
1.5 — Very Poor
1.0 — Awful