French metal alchemists TSS, formerly THE SUNDAY SADNESS, have been around for less than a decade, but they’ve already proven influential in their scene. The group released their debut single, “The Wrong Way”, in 2017 and followed up a few months later with “Lost in the Crowd”. TSS scored an opening slot for ASKING ALEXANDRIA in Paris, France, in 2018, and from there, it’s been an upward trajectory.

While TSS are certainly metal, it’s difficult to pinpoint their sound, and that’s the point. The band blends plenty of emo and metalcore with synth wave, K-pop, alternative rock and even phonk to offer an almost new kind of genre that features elements from a plethora of different styles.

TSS signed with Fearless in 2024, and this is their first album on the label. The album sets off with an eerie instrumental in “END OF TIME”, which goes from soft and mysterious to a crashing circle of sound at the end. “Notes In The Dark” follows, presenting a radio-friendly metalcore anthem with clean, high-pitched vocals, smooth transitions and a catchy, anthemic chorus. The song brings to mind a modern version of THE USED‘s “The Taste of Ink” or THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS with “Face Down”.

Early single “Something In The Way” is a standout, both for the track’s epic musicality and the fact its sung in both English and French, the group’s native tongue. Here, TSS serves up massive breakdowns, heavy riffs, hard-hitting rhythms and a mix of clean and screamed vocals. The band has said that “Something In The Way” is about the fall of a loved one into depression, and the song’s dark, heavy character and brooding atmospheres certainly convey that message. “KILLING ME” is another song that the band sings in both English and French, and it’s a rager, with soaring vocals begging their inspiration to listen to them, because they’re “all I need.”

While most of the album is heavy, “END OF TIME” also has some ballads, which is sometimes forgotten on metalcore albums. “In The Haze We Hide”, “So Long My Friend” and “Fantasize” are both lighter, more atmospheric numbers. Elsewhere, “Particles” is a swelling instrumental, and “Ending Scene” is a straight-ahead metalcore anthem.

On “END OF TIME”, TSS continue with their tradition of genre-bending and experimentation, while still maintaining their heavy, metalcore edge. The variety on this album is reason enough to give it a solid listen.