Album Review: Advents Build a Dark World on ‘A Bitter Truth You Can’t Undo’
Photo credit: Dom Delfino | Delfino Visuals
New York City's Advents are finally ready to deliver their debut full-length, A Bitter Truth You Can't Undo, out July 17 via InVogue Records.
The album release caps months of the four piece teasing heavy music fans with singles from this release and comes as the band has gathered more than 12 million streams behind their breakout 4-track EP Persona Melodies, released in 2024 and featuring collaborations with Downswing and If I Were You.
A Bitter Truth You Can't Undo digs into desire, emotional conflict, and self-destruction. These are not topics easily approached. Advents handle that weight by building a world around it, one that swings from subdued clean vocals to enraged screams and from heavy ass breakdowns to atmospheric layered tracks. We recommend watching the lyric videos on their YouTube channel to fully appreciate the architecture of their storytelling.
A Bitter Truth You Can’t Undo is Advents’ debut studio album, out July 17 via In Vogue Records.
RØKKR was blessed with an early listen of A Bitter Truth You Can't Undo, so keep scrolling for our full track-by-track guide. “Counterfeit Love" and “Synthetic" were among our favorites picks!
You can pre-order the album and merch from InVogue Records, including a clear vinyl variant with black and white splatter HERE.
Advents waste no time bringing the album to the fans with their Worlds Collide Tour, alongside co-headliners Shallowsky, kicking off the tour in Houston on July 20. For a full list of tour dates and to purchase your tickets, head to their website: https://adventsband.com/pages/shows
Track Notes
Hate Myself – 2:57
Brutal opening that gives way to clean vocals, then cycles between the two extremes. The whiplash suits the title. This first track gives you a clear sense of where the rest of the album is headed.
Circadian – 3:22
Opening with the lyric that would become the album's title, this track pulls the pace back just a shade from the opener, but still had me nodding along to well-placed screams and breakdowns. We have a feeling this one will play well live.
Speaking on the track, drummer Joe Koza shared the song “is about being conscious of your own loops. You repeat the same patterns, searching for meaning or salvation, and realize that this salvation was never meant for you.”
Waking Up to the Dark – 3:05
The pace continues to slow, giving room for vocals that will be easy for fans to sing along to. Even with the more intentional pacing, this one still hits heavy.
Ghost Habit – 3:13
This week I had one hell of a sleepless night. Just as I would drift off, racing thoughts would kick me back awake. This track captures that exact feeling, lulling the listener before jolting them with massive screams.
Counterfeit Love – 2:55
Maybe one of my favorite tracks on this album, and another one that will play well live. We can already see the waves of crowd surfers making their way to the barricade, or even a wall of death opening this one up. Just like the title suggests, this track is fueled by hatred and betrayal. Counterfeit love is one of the cruelest forms of punishment. It costs you everything, yet turns out to be worth nothing.
Haunted – 2:41
Wow, this track really pulls back from the pace of the prior one, but lands just as hard. We don't think there was a single scream in the whole runtime. It does a fantastic job of centering the listener mid-album.
Synthetic – 3:05
Another one of our favorites on this album. It drops in heavy and never really lets up, save for the bridge midsong. Even the mosh pit needs a moment to catch its breath. Excellent gritty vocals throughout, with a heavy thrash metal influence. Is post-Panteracore a genre? Asking for a friend.
Never Heaven – 3:11
The storytelling here appears to be that of a fallen angel seduced by his lover. As the title suggests, he describes her like something holy, right up until he realizes she's the reason for his downfall:
Salvation lies in the sin // you were never heaven // but I’ll worship the thrill
Vocalist Tyler Simpson shared his thoughts behind the track: “When writing ‘Never Heaven’ my goal was to explore the idea of dark desire, where pain can also feel sacred.”
Silk (feat. Savage Hands) – 3:41
Listen, the competition on this album is stiff. If we had to pick a soft spot, this might be it, though that says more about the strength of the entire record than this track.
The song opens like an industrial metal ballad before erupting around the two minute mark into a massive breakdown of heavy guitars and screams.
In its press notes, the band explained the imagery behind this song: “The story centers on a relationship that ends in mutually assured destruction. There's a lot of blame and resentment involved, and a will to end everything on their own terms. These are two people who lost themselves in each other and, instead of walking away, decided to see the worst in one another until they both withered away because of it in the end."
Kingdom Falls – 3:35
A strong finish to the album, and our last favorite of the bunch. This track does a great job tying the whole record together, well balanced between everything that came before it. The outro slowly fades out with haunting vocals, and when it finally ends, it almost feels like a moment of reflection at the end of an emotionally taxing journey.
Advents are: Tyler Simpson (vocals), - Kevin Chapilliquen (guitar), Sebastian Ferlin (guitar), Joe Koza (drums); Photo credit: Dom Delfino | Delfino Visuals
