I have a working theory that in any piece of music, most lay listeners primarily hear the vocals. The strongest case for this idea was at Furnace Fest ’21, where the “dream-thrash” band Astronoid, a band known for their blistering riffs, fiery solos, and blastbeats galore were booked on the stage reserved for the quieter bands.

But even so, Radiant Bloom might stand to challenge even those listeners, as Astronoid offers up the most brutal instrumental performance of their career.

Their formula is relatively simple to distill: breakbeat thrash riffs are played in a major key, given a few reverb pedals and synth pads for flavor, and lighter-than-air tenor vocals. But understanding the elements that comprise it doesn’t make it any less satisfying, and it certainly never feels formulaic. 

If you’re just looking at the sonic palette, there’s not much new here for Astronoid—but that’s mostly on account of how unique their voice is and how clearly they nailed the vision on their debut full length. But still, Radiant Bloom feels like a leap forward for the band, offering a record that is both heavier and brighter than anything they’ve done before.

The nine tracks run through 47 minutes of pure metal bliss, with Brett Boland’s voice offering the most anthemic choruses in their catalog while the instruments dig for heavier ores than ever before. Tracks like “Sleep Whisper,” “Drown,” and “Human” have some moments that pretty close to proper thrash. “Orchid” would sound positively ghastly if it were in a minor key and had rougher vocals. Instead, it’s pure bliss.

And somehow, even all of the detuned thrash, fret-burning solos, and absolutely punishing drum parts don’t sound as aggressive and off putting as the beer-stained 80s metal they borrow so much from. They manage to take all of those elements and wrap it up in a dream-like bow that I could play around my mom and she wouldn’t get on my case about still listening to screamo (like she did when I was listening to Alcest), even without diminishing any of its power.