The Love You Let Too Close

On the San Diego post-hardcore band’s debut album, Thousand Below frontman James DeBerg delves deep into his stormy emotions in the aftermath of a close friend’s suicide. As he sings in the opener “Sinking Me”, “Show me that I can feel again, I’m sick of this loss being all I claim.” But while emotions obviously run high in the soaring “Never Here” and the more metallic “Vein”, Thousand Below’s tightly constructed songs and impassioned performances ensure there’s always a sense of control underlying the catharsis.