156/Silence have announced their sixth studio album From A Distance, arriving September 4 through Pure Noise Records, with the Pittsburgh metalcore band introducing the record through the new single and video for No Arms.
by Paul Cashmere
156/Silence have formally launched the next chapter in the band’s evolution with the announcement of their sixth album, From A Distance, due on September 4 via Pure Noise Records. The Pittsburgh group has simultaneously released the album’s first preview, No Arms, a track that arrives less than two years after 2024’s People Watching and during a period of significant change for the band.
The announcement carries added significance for a band that has undergone both stylistic and personal shifts in recent years. While People Watching marked a move deeper into metalcore territory after earlier hardcore foundations, From A Distance arrives after one of the most difficult periods in the band’s history following the unexpected death of bassist Lukas Booker in March 2025.
For followers of contemporary heavy music, the release also reflects a broader trend across the genre. Many metalcore acts have increasingly expanded beyond rigid stylistic boundaries, incorporating cinematic textures, melody and conceptual themes while retaining extreme elements. Acts across the current generation have moved toward wider sonic palettes, and 156/Silence appear positioned within that movement while continuing to preserve their mathcore roots.
The first single, No Arms, establishes some of the emotional and thematic direction of the upcoming album. The band described the song as an examination of vulnerability and powerlessness.
“No Arms is about being without a way to protect yourself and what belongs to you. Being alone and afraid, not having any means to control the situations that befall on us. The overwhelming feeling of being helpless until we’re not. Until somebody saves us.”
The album itself was produced by Josh Schroeder, whose production credits include work with King 810, Lorna Shore and The Plot In You. Across its 12 tracks, the record also introduces guest appearances from Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada, Alex Reade of Make Them Suffer and Tony Castrati of Crippling Alcoholism.
According to information surrounding the release, From A Distance broadens the thematic concerns established on People Watching. Song topics move through celebrity culture, social behaviour, intrusive thoughts and personal relationships. Tracks including Proxy Idols, Order & Entropy and Swept From Under (Call Of The Void) continue that direction.
The record also marks the band’s first full-length release through Pure Noise Records, a move that places them alongside a roster known for balancing aggressive music with artists operating beyond traditional genre limitations.
Founded in Pittsburgh in 2015, 156/Silence have gradually reshaped both their sound and line-up across a decade of releases. Their first album, And Everything Was Beautiful, arrived independently in 2016 before Undercover Scumbag followed in 2018 with a significantly altered membership. Irrational Pull in 2020 and Narrative in 2022 expanded their technical and experimental ambitions before People Watching emerged in 2024 as a notable turning point.
Current members Jimmy Howell, Jack Murray, Ryan Wilkinson, Kyle O’Connell and Mike Ernst have increasingly moved towards melodic structures and larger atmospheric arrangements. Howell said the band discovered a new direction while creating People Watching.
“It went so well that we decided to double down on that.”
He also outlined the group’s wider philosophy regarding evolution and longevity.
“I look toward bands we love that grew with their listeners, like Thrice and Bring Me The Horizon. They have a sound, but they grow and change. Some bands are comfortable repeating the same thing again. I don’t want to do that.”
The challenge for bands operating in modern heavy music remains balancing progression with audience expectations. Fans often connect strongly with particular eras or sounds, particularly within metal and hardcore communities where identity and authenticity can become central concerns.
For 156/Silence, however, the approach appears less focused on preserving a fixed formula and more concerned with maintaining movement. The group’s catalogue has consistently shifted from release to release and From A Distance appears designed to continue that pattern rather than revisit previous territory.
The band is also maintaining an active touring schedule through North America with appearances alongside Thornhill, Chiodos and others, while festival slots at Inkcarceration and Louder Than Life are expected to further introduce the new material ahead of the album’s release.
From A Distance Track Listing:
Control Burns
No Arms
Order & Entropy
Swept From Under (Call Of The Void)
An Early Exit
Collateral (Ft. Tony Castrati Of Crippling Alcoholism)
Cannon Fodder (Ft. Mike Hranica Of The Devil Wears Prada)
Secret Room
Proxy Idols
Phoenix Dies
From A Distance (Ft. Alex Reade Of Make Them Suffer)
After Dusk
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