The Wheel - I See Stars
9 years have passed since I See Stars released their last album, Treehouse, their first release without their longtime unclean vocalist/keyboardist Zach Johnson and guitarist Jimmy Gregerson. I remember listening to that album and feeling like something was “off” and that it didn’t hold a candle to their previous releases, with the absence of Zach and Jimmy feeling like a gaping wound in the band’s sound. Unfortunately, the same sentiment applies all these years later with their most recent release - The Wheel.
When I See Stars was in their prime in the early to mid-2010s, they were a band that I constantly had in my rotation. I remember buying all the song packs on Rock Band 3, the physical CDs for Digital Renegade and New Demons, and even seeing them live at The Reverb in PA. I loved their unique blend of electronic music and Metalcore - A sound that was beginning to grow in the scene, but really took off with I See Stars (I recognize that Enter Shikari and Attack Attack! came before I See Stars in the genre, but the 2010s really saw a surge in popularity in the genre with I See Stars). I was always impressed with the back-to-back releases of Digital Renegade and New Demons, and the band’s ability to put out two killer albums in the span of a little over a year.
When the band began teasing their return in 2023, I was cautiously optimistic. The singles they released didn’t impress me too much, but I remained hopeful that the full release would have some surprises at least. It took until now for that album to be released, and I can honestly say it wasn’t worth the wait. The Wheel sounds like a step back for the band, with the overall sound being a watered-down version of their former glory. The album lacks any true grit, with hardly any unclean vocals present. The clean vocals are mostly over-processed, and the writing is generic at best. There are no fun surprises, memorable riffs, catchy vocals, or fun electronic drops/sounds. The absence of Zach and Jimmy continues to be a massive creative and sonic crater for the band, even 10 years after they were let go. The three worst things you can do in music are be offensive, be boring, and/or sound terrible, and I See Stars commits one of these crimes by putting out a boring record. As for any standout tracks, this is the first album I have reviewed where there wasn’t a single song I’d suggest you listen to. Skip this record.
If I See Stars wants to reclaim any relevance and become a powerhouse again, they need to take a look at their lineup first and see if they can find new, passionate members to breathe some life back into this almost 20-year-old band. The half-ass effort and retreading old territory is not going to work anymore. They managed to put out an album in 2025 that sounds like it should have been released in 2012, and even if it had been released in 2012, it still wouldn’t be as good as their actual 2012 release: Digital Renegade.
For the record, I do NOT like being this harsh with a review, especially when it involves a band I once loved, but I promised honest music reviews to my readers.