Review by Saxy S for Haste the Day - Dissenter (2026)

I was not expecting much out of a new Haste the Day album in 2026. But what we ended up getting was a really solid performance of quality metalcore choruses and production. Haste the Day prove that they are still capable of writing very catchy and infectious choruses throughout their career and Dissenter is no exception. Standouts for me include "Grave", "Liminal" and the closer "Oblivion". The songs themselves are well performed with a mostly forgiving production; sometimes when the guitar changes to a chugging riff pattern it does get wonky, and parts of the percussion become mushy near the end of songs like "Heretic" and "Shallows". But the real letdown is in the vocals. Stephen Keech makes a fine return on vocals as a harsh screamer, but this clean vocal timbre does not work for me. It all starts on "Shallows" with a plain, monotonous delivery that does not reflect that songs intensity at all. While the album does get better after that, the fact that this was the bands first impression left a sour taste in my mouth the rest of the record. Dissenter is a record that has some great highs for a modern metalcore album (it almost feels more like a nostalgic 2000s throwback) with its back-to-basics songwriting, but questionable production choices and a poor vocal performance prevent these longtime metalcore giants from achieving anything higher.

Best Songs: Grave, Gnasher, Oblivion

For Fans Of: Imminence, Blessthefall, Oh, Sleeper