''Beautiful Oblivion'' is the third studio album by American

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band Issues, released on October 4, 2019, on Rise Records. It serves as a follow-up to their second studio album, ''

Headspace Headspace may refer to: *Headspace (company), an online healthcare company specializing in meditation *Headspace (organisation), an Australian non-profit organization for youth mental health *Headspace or ullage, the unfilled space in a container ...

'' (2016) and was produced by Howard Benson. The album showcases the group's progression of experimenting with other musical styles and influences, using elements of

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

, progressive metal and djent, and influences of neo-soul, R&B,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

. This was the band's last album to feature lead singer

Tyler Carter Derek Tyler Carter (born December 30, 1991) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer from Gainesville, Georgia. He is most notable for being the former vocalist and founding member of American metalcore band Issues. Cart ...

before his departure for allegations of sexual misconduct in 2020. The album was supported by three singles: "

Tapping Out A submission is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat. The submission – then also referred to as a "tap out" or "tapping out" – is often performed by visibly tapping the floor or the opp ...

", "Drink About It" and "Flexin'". To promote the album, the band toured as support on American rock band

I Prevail I Prevail is an American rock band formed in Southfield, Michigan, in 2013. They released their debut EP '' Heart vs. Mind'' (2014) and rose to popularity from releasing a metal cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" as a single, which eventuall ...

's ''

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: *Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source *Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic inju ...

'' North American tour and embarked on a headlining 2019 world tour in the US and UK. After ''

'' (2016), Issues began writing sessions for their third studio album. On January 4, 2018, it was revealed that the group had parted ways with original member and unclean vocalist Michael Bohn, thus making the band a four-piece moving forward. Guitarist AJ Rebollo and bass guitarist Skyler Acord subsequently took over screaming vocal duties for future tours, with Rebollo recording unclean vocals on studio performances. In between tours and recording sessions, lead singer

released his debut solo studio album, ''

Moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

'', in February 2019, and embarked on a solo headlining tour. Tyler Acord, the band's former keyboardist and disc jockey, joined the band's studio sessions once more to program and perform synthesizers.

Promotion

On May 3, 2019, the band released the album's lead single, "

". The music video for the song premiered June 26, 2019. The album's announcement was on August 11, 2019, and the second single, "Drink About It", was released accompanied with its music video the following day. A third single, "Flexin'", a 2 minute and 26 second

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

-inspired

and funk metal song, was released on September 27, along with its music video. On October 3, Rise Records hosted a live stream album listening party with members of the band giving commentary on the album's tracks. The band toured as support on American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

's Trauma North American tour, from April 24 to August 9, 2019. The Beautiful Oblivion Tour is set to begin in the United Kingdom from October 7 to 17, with support from Lotus Eater, and will continue in North America from November 7 to December 15, 2019, with support from

Polyphia Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman. Polyphia's sound is noted for inco ...

, Sleep Token, and Lil Aaron. On December 12, 2019, it was revealed that Issues would embark on

Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...

's headlining 2020 spring tour with Animals As Leaders,

Veil of Maya Veil of Maya is an American metalcore band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, by members Marc Okubo and Sam Applebaum in 2004. They are currently signed to Sumerian Records and have released six studio albums. Their first four albums are considered ...

and

Royal Coda Royal Coda is an American rock band based in Sacramento, California, founded by lead guitarist Sergio Medina. They are known for their amalgamation of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and post-hardcore. The band currently consists of lead voc ...

in March and April. This tour was later postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On November 20, 2020, Issues released the instrumental version of the album on all streaming media and digital download platforms.

Composition

''Beautiful Oblivion'' is a

album with elements of progressive metal and djent, and influences of neo-soul, R&B,

and

. The album is the band's first release to not feature original member and unclean vocalist Michael Bohn, which led to significantly less screaming vocals being featured on the record, with the exception of guitarist AJ Rebollo's unclean vocals on a few tracks. Writing sessions for songs on the album began as early as 2014, when the band began reviving old demo recordings, while recording sessions took place between 2017 and 2019, in

Calabasas, California Calabasas (from Spanish language, Spanish ''calabazas'' "gourds") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, between the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains, Santa Susanna mounta ...

with producer Howard Benson. Kris Crummett stepped down as producer and served as an engineer on the record. Ty "Lophiile" Acord, a former member of the band, helped compose and perform synthesizers and programming for the album. The band's recording sessions were heavily disrupted due to the

2018 California wildfires The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in California history. It was also the largest on record at the time, now third after the 2020 and 2021 California wildfire seasons. In 2018, there were a total of ...

, which lead to the members having to evacuate on various occasions.

Lyrics and music

The opening track, "Here's To You"–a moody R&B-laden

song–opens with a sample of Ty "Lophiile" Acord toying with a yo-yo. One of the first tracks composed for the album, it was co-written with

Jamaican-American Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in South Florida and New York City, both of which have been home to large Jamaican commu ...

singer-songwriter Jesse Boykins III and features a vocal appearance from the band's bassist Skyler Acord on the bridge. The second track, "Drink About It", a

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...

and R&B song, was written by singer

with the lyrical subject matter dealing with " cheater being found out by their unfortunate partner." "Find Forever", the album's third track, has been described by the group as "a wedding song", with the melody and top-line written by Skyler Acord. It also features famed

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

player Antonio "Saxl Rose" Hancock and a choir. The fourth song, "

", a

nu metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

track, was released as the lead single and features guitarist AJ Rebello performing

unclean vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...

on the bridge; Rebollo and Carter wrote the song about Rebollo's

suicide attempt A suicide attempt is an attempt to die by suicide that results in survival. It may be referred to as a "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempt, though these terms are discouraged by mental health professionals for implying that a suicide res ...

during recording sessions for the album. The fifth track, "Without You", a

rap rock Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...

pop metal Pop metal (sometimes conflated with or used interchangeably with glam metal) is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became ...

song, was composed during the recording sessions for ''

'', in 2015, but was revisited for ''Beautiful Oblivion''. "Rain", the sixth track, was musically inspired by

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

, specifically

Mayday Parade Mayday Parade is an American Rock music, rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. Their debut EP ''Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their de ...

, with its lyricism dealing with "people who always drag the fucking mood down." The seventh song, "Downfall", has been labeled as one of the heavier tracks on the record, featuring double drop C# tuned guitars. It also features

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

inspired production from

Enter Shikari Enter Shikari (stylised as enter: shikari and occasionally as ΣΠΤΣ℞ SΗΦΚ∆℞Φ) are a British rock band formed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drum ...

keyboardist Rou Reynolds on the second verse. "Second Best", the eighth track, features both

melancholic Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout History of medicine#Greece and Roman Empire, ancient, medieval medicine of Western Europe, medieval and Lear ...

lyrics and upbeat

elements, and was co-written by Carter with

Bad Seed Rising Bad Seed Rising was an American rock band from Maryland composed of four teenagers: singer/rhythm guitarist Francheska Pastor, lead guitarist Mason Gainer, drummer Aiden Marceron and bassist Louey Peraza. They were the youngest band to sign with ...

singer and guitarist Francheska Pastor. The ninth song, "Get It Right", has been described as a stand-out on the record, with elements of neo-soul, R&B and 90s-inspired

; lyrically, the track deals with

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...

. "Flexin'", the tenth song, began as a joke which later was decided by the band to be a track on the record featuring satirical lyrics about rebelling and elements of

, electro-pop and

. It was described as a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

exercise for Carter after growing tired of writing. "No Problem (Keep It Alive)", the eleventh song, was the first track written for the album, and features

Nigerian-American Nigerian Americans ( ig, Ṇ́dị́ Naìjíríyà n'Emerịkà; ha, Yan Najeriyar asalin Amurka; yo, Àwọn ọmọ Nàìjíríà Amẹ́ríkà) are an ethnic group of Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigran ...

singer Ivana Nwokike of

VanJess VanJess was a Nigerian-American R&B duo composed of sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike. The duo began their career on YouTube performing cover songs. After one of their videos, a cover of Drake's "Headlines", had viral success, they decided to p ...

. It features interpolated lyrics and vocal parts from "If You Love Me" by

Brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

and "

Red Nose "Red Nose" is a song by American rapper Sage the Gemini from his debut album '' Remember Me''. The song was released as his debut single on March 19, 2013. It was a minor hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 52 but fared better on ...

" by Sage the Gemini. The twelfth track, "Your Sake", is a piano ballad featuring no other instrumentation, becoming the first song by Issues to only feature

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and vocals. The thirteenth and final track, the title-track, features more

production with elements of

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Track listing

Personnel

Issues *

– clean vocals, additional unclean vocals * Adrian Rebollo – guitars, unclean vocals * Skyler Acord – bass, additional vocals on “Here’s to You” * Joshua Manuel – drums, percussion Additional personnel * Tyler Acord "Lophiile" – programming, composer, additional instrumentation, synthesizers Production * Digital editor – Paul DeCarli, Joe Rickard * Engineer – Howard Benson, Michael Closson, Kris Crummett, Trevor Dietrich, Hatsukazu Inagaki, Ricky Orozco, Mike Plotnikoff * Guitar technician - Marc VanGool * Producer – Howard Benson

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Issues (band) albums Rise Records albums Albums produced by Howard Benson