''Vessels'' (stylized as ''▽ESSELS'') is the second studio album by American rock band

Starset Starset is an American rock band from Columbus, Ohio, formed by Dustin Bates in 2013. They released their debut album, '' Transmissions'', in 2014 and their second album, '' Vessels'', on January 20, 2017. The band has found success in expandin ...

, released on January 20, 2017 through

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

. The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, "

Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

", peaked at number 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Songs Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart in May 2017, becoming the band's highest-charting song to date. The second single, "

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", peaked at number 12 on the same chart in November 2017. A deluxe edition of the album titled ''Vessels 2.0'' was released on September 28, 2018.

Writing and recording

Frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Dustin Bates outlines the process for creating the album: Work on the album started as early as June 2015. Bates estimates that it took collectively 9 months to create the album, with small interspersed breaks for touring in support of the band's prior album, '' Transmissions''.

Composition and sound

Bates described the album's sound in comparison to their prior album, ''Transmissions'': ''Vessels'' has been described as

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

electronic rock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrume ...

, and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

, by professional critics. Bates also stated he implemented some elements of

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into the music.

Reception

The album was strongly praised by

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

, stating that "''Vessels'' works on multiple levels. If you're looking for engaging singular tracks to fill your playlist, this album has several songs that could keep the band on radio for a long run. But if you're looking for a deeper connection and a full listening experience, ''Vessels'' truly takes the listener on a journey both musically and thematically, utilising synths, drums, guitars and Bates' at times dreamlike, at other times aggressive vocal approach." The lead single from the album "

" also received particular praise for its blend of hard rock with electronic elements, and was featured in many decade end rock songs lists.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Dustin Bates – vocals, guitars, additional programming * Rob Graves – programming, guitars * Alex Niceforo – programming *

Igor Khoroshev Igor Petrovich Khoroshev (russian: Игорь Петрович Хорошев; born 14 July 1965) is a Russian keyboardist, composer, and producer best known for being a member of progressive rock band Yes from 1997 to 2000. Biography Khoroshev ...

– programming, strings and orchestra arrangements * Josh Baker – additional programming * Paul Trust – additional programming * Ron DeChant – additional backing vocals * Joe Rickard – drums * David Davidson – violin * David Angell – violin * Elizabeth Lamb – viola * Anthony Lamarchina – cello

Technical

* Rob Graves – production, engineering * Ben Grosse – mixing *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– mastering * Mike Plotnikoff – engineering * Justin Spotswood – engineering * Paul Decarli – digital editing * Joe Rickard – digital editing, additional pre-production * Josh Baker – additional pre-production * Sahaj Ticotin – additional pre-production * Paul Trust – additional pre-production

Writing and recording

Composition and sound

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References