Reviewed by Simon “Scooby” White

Released: September 4, 2026
Label: Pure Noise Records
Album: Sixth studio album
Genre: Metalcore / Hardcore / Mathcore / Atmospheric Metalcore
Rating: 9/10

Righto, 156/Silence have gone and fucked with my head again.

I’ve been following this band for a while now, and one thing you can pretty much guarantee with 156/Silence is that they’re not going to make the same bloody record twice.

From A Distance is absolutely no exception.

If you’re coming into this expecting People Watching 2.0, forget it.

This is darker, stranger, more atmospheric, more emotional and, in places, fucking uncomfortable.

But that’s exactly why I reckon it works so bloody well.

156/Silence have taken everything they’ve been building over the years — metalcore, hardcore, mathcore, electronic sounds, melody, massive riffs, weird atmospheric sections and some absolutely filthy vocals — and thrown the whole fucking lot into a blender.

Then they’ve added a bit of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Twin Peaks and Severance for good measure.

Yep. You read that right.

This isn’t just an album influenced by heavy bands.

156/Silence have talked about taking inspiration from the atmosphere and sound design of games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, alongside the strange, dreamlike world of Twin Peaks.

And you can bloody hear it.

There’s this feeling throughout From A Distance that something isn’t quite right. Even when the music is beautiful, there’s something lurking underneath it.

It’s like walking through an empty house in a horror game and hearing a noise from the next room.

You don’t know what’s there. You don’t know what’s coming.

But you know something is fucking coming.

Then there’s Severance.

The record opens with a sample from the Apple TV series, immediately dropping you into that strange world of isolation, identity and disconnection before the music properly kicks in.

It’s a fucking brilliant way to start the album.

And then 156/Silence go to work.

WHO THE FUCK ARE 156/SILENCE?

For anyone who has been living under a rock, 156/Silence are a metalcore band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formed in 2015.

Vocalist Jack Murray, guitarists Jimmy Howell and Ryan Wilkinson, drummer Kyle O’Connell and bassist Mike Ernst make up the current lineup, and these blokes have been on one hell of a journey.

From Undercover Scumbag and Irrational Pull, through Narrative and then the massive step forward that was People Watching, they’ve continually pushed their sound further.

People Watching was where the band really started embracing bigger melodies and clean vocals alongside the brutality.

Instead of going, “Well, that worked, let’s do it again,” they’ve basically gone:

“Fuck it. Let’s push it even further.”

And that’s where From A Distance comes in.

THE SHADOW OF LUKAS BOOKER

There’s also a much heavier emotional story sitting behind this era of the band.

Longtime bassist Lukas Booker died unexpectedly in 2025 at just 28 years old.

For a band that had spent years together, that isn’t something you simply shrug off and walk away from. The band described Lukas as incredibly kind, genuine and selfless, one of those people who helped make 156/Silence what it was.

They later released “Our Parting Ways” as a tribute.

While From A Distance isn’t simply a grief record, knowing what the band went through gives the album another bloody layer.

There’s a lot of reflection here. A lot of distance. A lot of looking backwards while trying to figure out where the fuck you’re going next.

That makes the title From A Distance feel pretty damn appropriate.

THE TRACKS

1. CONTROL BURNS

Before we even get into the proper songs, “Control Burns” sets the fucking mood.

The Severance sample immediately makes this feel less like putting an album on and more like entering some weird psychological experiment.

It’s cold, uncomfortable and detached before dropping you straight into the world of 156/Silence.

It’s the perfect opening because you aren’t being welcomed into this album.

You’re being fucking dragged into it.

And I love that.

2. NO ARMS

Then comes “No Arms”, and straight away you know you’re dealing with a different beast.

The guitars are fucking massive, but there’s a groove underneath everything that keeps pulling you forward. Jack Murray sounds absolutely feral when the screams kick in, but once again it’s the cleaner vocal work that makes this version of 156/Silence so interesting.

They’ve figured out that you don’t need to scream constantly to sound heavy.

Sometimes a quiet vocal followed by a massive fucking riff hits harder than screaming for three minutes.

There’s melody. There’s atmosphere. There’s aggression.

And it all fits together.

Bloody strong start.

3. ORDER & ENTROPY

This is where things start getting properly weird.

“Order & Entropy” feels like the musical equivalent of having your brain pulled in two different directions.

You’ve got technical guitar work, rhythmic changes, atmosphere and melody all battling against each other, but instead of sounding like five different songs smashed together, it somehow works.

That’s one of this band’s biggest strengths.

They can make chaos sound controlled.

Which, considering the title, is probably exactly the fucking point.

There’s a constant battle between order and absolute fucking entropy, and it’s one of the tracks that really shows how far 156/Silence have come.

4. SWEPT FROM UNDER (CALL OF THE VOID)

Now we’re getting fucking nasty.

“Swept From Under (Call of the Void)” is one of those tracks where you can practically feel the floor disappear underneath you.

The riffs are filthy. The vocals are absolutely savage. And the whole thing carries this sense of panic and claustrophobia.

That’s where I reckon the Silent Hill influence really makes sense.

It isn’t simply about making something heavy.

It’s about creating the feeling that you’re trapped somewhere you shouldn’t fucking be.

And this song absolutely nails that.

5. AN EARLY EXIT

Then everything slows down.

“An Early Exit” is one of those songs that proves 156/Silence aren’t afraid to let their music breathe.

After getting your head kicked in, suddenly there’s vulnerability. The cleaner vocals become much more important and the song feels almost exposed.

It isn’t trying to impress you with technical guitar work.

It’s trying to make you feel something.

That’s something I really respect about From A Distance. The band understand that if everything is turned up to eleven all the time, nothing actually feels huge.

You need the quiet moments.

You need the fucking darkness.

You need the space.

Then, when the heaviness comes back, it hits twice as hard.

6. COLLATERAL: FEAT. TONY CASTRATI

Then along comes Tony Castrati from Crippling Alcoholism.

This is probably the guest appearance that surprised me the most.

Rather than grabbing another obvious metalcore vocalist, 156/Silence have gone sideways and brought somebody from a completely different musical world into the fucking mess.

And it works.

“Collateral” feels uncomfortable. There’s something dirty and claustrophobic about it.

It doesn’t simply sound heavy.

It feels like something is wrong.

That’s where those Resident Evil and Silent Hill influences really start making sense.

Think about those games. Sometimes the scariest part isn’t the monster.

It’s the fucking silence before you see the monster.

That’s what this track does, and Tony’s contribution adds another layer to that feeling.

Properly unsettling.

7. CANNON FODDER – FEAT. MIKE HRANICA

Then we’ve got Mike Hranica from The Devil Wears Prada jumping into the carnage.

And let’s be honest, you know you’re getting something fucking heavy when Mike Hranica turns up.

What I like about “Cannon Fodder”, though, is that it isn’t simply:

“Hey, we’ve got Mike. Let’s make the biggest breakdown possible.”

There’s actually emotion behind it.

The vocals from Murray and Hranica complement one another brilliantly. The song feels desperate, angry and exhausted — like you’ve been fighting the same fucking battle for years and you’re finally running out of energy.

It’s one of those tracks where the heaviness isn’t just in the guitars.

It’s in the emotion.

Massive track.

8. SECRET ROOM

Fuck me, this one is good.

“Secret Room” feels like 156/Silence throwing absolutely everything they’ve got into one song.

Heavy guitars. Melody. Atmosphere. Electronic touches. Big vocals.

Then it switches direction again.

It’s unpredictable as fuck, and that’s exactly what makes it exciting.

You can’t sit there waiting for the standard verse/chorus/breakdown formula because the band keep pulling the rug out from underneath you.

It’s almost cinematic, and once again there’s that feeling of being trapped inside some fucked-up psychological horror movie.

You don’t know what’s around the corner.

One of my favourites on the album.

9. PROXY IDOLS

If you’re looking for something to absolutely fucking destroy a live pit with, “Proxy Idols” is your song.

This one is aggressive as hell.

The rhythm section is fucking tight, the guitars are huge and Murray is completely unleashed, but there’s still enough melody to stop it becoming just another generic metalcore banger.

I can already imagine the crowd going absolutely fucking mental to this one.

Circle pits. Wall of death. Bodies flying everywhere.

Someone losing a shoe.

Some poor bastard looking for their glasses afterwards.

Yep.

This one’s built for the live environment.

10. PHOENIX DIES

Now we get to one of the absolute standouts.

“Phoenix Dies” is fucking brilliant.

It’s heavy, but there’s this haunting melodic quality underneath it, and once again the band manage to make the emotional sections feel every bit as important as the brutal ones.

The title itself feels pretty fucking appropriate too.

A phoenix is supposed to rise again.

But what happens when the phoenix dies?

That’s the kind of darker question running through this album.

Things ending. Identity changing. People disappearing. Trying to rebuild yourself when the version of you that existed before isn’t coming back.

Musically, it’s fucking massive.

One of my picks for the album.

11. FROM A DISTANCE – FEAT. ALEX READE

Then we get the fucking title track.

Featuring Alex Reade from Australia’s own Make Them Suffer.

This is where the Twin Peaks influence becomes really interesting.

The band have talked about the song being inspired by that strange, melancholic atmosphere of Twin Peaks, including the emotional weight created by its piano-driven moments.

And you can hear it.

This isn’t simply a metalcore song with a guest vocal thrown into it.

It’s atmospheric. Dreamlike. Sad.

Almost beautiful.

Then Alex’s vocals add another emotional dimension.

It’s a completely different side of 156/Silence.

The song feels like looking at someone you once knew and realising there’s now a fucking ocean between you.

And that’s what I reckon the album title is really about.

Distance.

Emotional distance. Physical distance. Distance between who you were and who you’ve become. Distance between people.

Maybe even the distance between reality and whatever the fuck is happening inside your own head.

This is probably the most emotionally powerful song on the album.

12. AFTER DUSK

And finally…

“After Dusk.”

Just when you think we’re going to get some nice peaceful ending after all the emotional shit we’ve just been through…

Nope.

156/Silence still have one more kick in the fucking teeth.

The electronic atmosphere and darker textures give the track a cinematic quality. It feels like the credits are rolling on some fucked-up psychological horror film.

And I reckon that’s the perfect way to finish.

They don’t need some gigantic final breakdown.

Instead, they leave you sitting there in the darkness thinking:

What the fuck did I just listen to?

Then you immediately want to put it on again.

THE GUESTS

The three guest appearances on From A Distance are bloody well chosen.

Mike Hranica: The Devil Wears Prada

Brings that unmistakable aggression to “Cannon Fodder” while still fitting perfectly into the emotional side of the track.

Tony Castrati: Crippling Alcoholism

The wildcard.

His appearance on “Collateral” gives the album another strange, uncomfortable texture and reinforces that 156/Silence aren’t interested in staying inside the metalcore box.

Alex Reade: Make Them Suffer

Probably the most surprising and beautiful collaboration.

Her vocals on “From A Distance” help turn the title track into one of the album’s emotional centrepieces.

And being an Australian connection makes this one fucking cool for us over here.

SO WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE 156/SILENCE?

For me, From A Distance is the album where 156/Silence stop worrying about what they’re supposed to sound like.

They’ve already proved they can write fucking heavy songs.

They don’t need to prove that anymore.

Instead, they’re interested in atmosphere, mood, emotion, storytelling and making you feel uncomfortable.

The horror influences make perfect sense when you listen to the album that way.

Resident Evil gives you the tension.

Silent Hill gives you the dread.

Twin Peaks gives you the sadness and surreal atmosphere.

Severance gives you that feeling of detachment and something being fundamentally wrong beneath an ordinary surface.

156/Silence take all of those ideas and shove them through their own fucking metalcore machine.

The result is an album that can go from beautiful to absolutely brutal within seconds.

Then there’s the human side of it.

The loss of Lukas Booker hangs over this era of 156/Silence, whether every song is specifically about him or not.

The band have had to deal with loss while simultaneously pushing themselves creatively.

Rather than making a safe record, they’ve gone in the opposite direction.

They’ve taken risks.

FINAL VERDICT

From A Distance is fucking huge.

Not just because of the riffs, the breakdowns or because Jack Murray sounds like he’s trying to scream the walls down.

It’s huge because of the atmosphere.

156/Silence have figured out that heavy doesn’t always mean loud.

Sometimes heavy is a fucking piano.

Sometimes it’s silence.

Sometimes it’s a creepy sample from Severance.

Sometimes it’s a clean vocal sitting in the middle of a wall of distortion.

Sometimes it’s a memory.

Sometimes it’s grief.

And sometimes it’s Jack Murray screaming his fucking lungs out while Jimmy Howell and Ryan Wilkinson make your speakers sound like they’re about to explode.

This is a band that could have easily played it safe after People Watching.

Instead, they’ve gone:

“Fuck it. Let’s get weird.”

And I’m fucking glad they did.

9/10

STANDOUT TRACKS

No Arms
Order & Entropy
Swept From Under (Call of the Void)
Collateral
Cannon Fodder
Secret Room
Phoenix Dies
From A Distance

Best listened to: Loud as fucking possible, preferably with headphones, preferably somewhere dark.

Because From A Distance isn’t just an album you listen to.

It’s an atmosphere you fucking step into.

– Scooby

From A Distance Track Listing: 01. Control Burns 02. No Arms 03. Order & Entropy 04. Swept From Under (Call of The Void) 05. An Early Exit 06. Collateral (ft. Tony Castrati of Crippling Alchoholism) 07. Cannon Fodder (ft. Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada) 08. Secret Room 09. Proxy Idols 10. Phoenix Dies 11. From A Distance (ft. Alex Reade of Make Them Suffer) 12. After Dusk

FROM A DISTANCE – OUT NOW https://purenoiserecs.lnk.to/156stores

156/SILENCE SUPPORTING THROWN TOUR DATES: WEDNESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2027 – FREO SOCIAL, FREMANTLE 18+ FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2027 – THE GOV, ADELAIDE LIC AA SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2027 – FORUM, MELBOURNE 18+ WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2027 – UC HUB, CANBERRA 18+ THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2027 – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY LIC AA FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2027 – KING STREET BANDROOM, NEWCASTLE 18+ SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2027 – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE 18+ Tickets from www.destroyalllines.com