When djent kings TesseracT issued Polaris in 2015, they were working with yet another lead vocalist, or rather, a lead vocalist they'd worked with before: in Daniel Tomkins, their original singer. They laid out a safe blueprint to follow so they'd gel as a band. It worked (mostly) and heightened their profile, gaining new cadre of fans in the process. Seasoned by three years together, Sonder is a mature document that takes all the chances that confidence allows, including clocking in at under 37 minutes without any lack of ideas.
"Sonder" is a self-conjured word by John Koenig for his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a compendium of invented terms describing previously unnamable, intensely experienced emotions. He defines "sonder" as "the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own." TesseracT uses the word as muse and map to explore related emotional themes, ranging from feelings of insignificance to alienation, from soul corruption to oppression, to the fear of losing control. "Luminary," commences with a few seconds of ambience before erupting with bone-crunching guitar riffs and fat snare and kick drum. When Tomkins enters on the verse, the power dissipates momentarily, allowing his voice to roam over the lyrics unfettered, but returns with a vengeance in the chorus. This is where post-rock and doom metal intersect with prog rock. "King" is led by Amos Williams' bass-driven grooves, filled in by distorted, detuned guitar vamps from Acle Kahney and James Monteith, and Jay Postones' fat, popping snares. It's a massive track filled with swirling energy. Tomkins sings with clean, emotive vocals that transmute into screaming during the middle eight. The beauty here, and in other heavy tracks such as the blistering "Juno," is how seamlessly TesseracT juxtapose metallic violence and noise with hook-laden melody. The latter track has a slapped bassline that is almost funky in contrast to the syncopated guitars and breakbeat drums. "Beneath My Skin," and "Mirror Image" -- the set's centerpieces -- are rife with indie rock tropes; they can get lost, at least initially, without proper attention from the listener, but are essential elements in the mix, offering a more multi-dimensional portrait of TesseracT's expansive sound. "Smile" is ushered in with blurry electronica before exploding in a volcano of metal before shifting toward taught, angry post rock and finding its way all the way round again. At 2:37, closer "Arrow" is all too brief. Even so, it's among the most memorable songs here, emerging from layered ambience to engage doomy yet hooky hard prog rock. Adrien O'Brien's production is well balanced: Drums are up in the mix, separate from all other sounds; Tomkins' singing is mixed just above guitars, basses, and electronic sounds, becoming at once a focal point and another instrument. Sonder is a logical next step for TesseracT, one that stands on par with anything they've previously released, yet evidences more authority, musical restlessness, and sonic multi-dimensionality than anything in their previous catalog.