Beartooth, “The Surface.”

Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo set out on a different course while writing the band’s fifth album, The Surface. Coming off the dark and intensely personal Below just two years prior, he wanted to break away from despair and anguish. The resulting album is no less personal, but a very different snapshot of life.

Fans of the Ohio band’s heavier side will find plenty to dig into on this album, which Shomo also self-produced. While “Sunshine” might have a brief melodic verse, it quickly brings in a visceral screamed vocal with a powerful instrumental that fires on all cylinders.

The album’s title track offers up a similar collision of heavy and soft dynamics.

“Living reckless/ Living fast/ Don’t have time for regret/ My depression’s on 11 but I’m not dead yet,” Shomo sings on the revelatory track that delves into his how he made the decision to move his life in a more positive direction. It has its brutal moments but they’re sandwiched between a soaring and melodic chorus.

The autobiographical focus isn’t new. Shomo launched the band in 2013 as a vehicle to talk about his own journey with mental health struggles.

Where the record does veer from the band’s prior work is in its more exploratory moments. Case in point, the feature by country/screamo crossover tune “The Better Me,” featuring Hardy. The country singer has become an unexpected mainstay guest on heavier rock tracks. It takes a bit to digest the stylistic clash but the song’s heartfelt center has a positive message about taking steps to better your life. On paper, “The Better Me” shouldn’t work, but it does given both singers’ earnest and emotional delivery that seamlessly overlaps styles musical styles.

Lead single “Might Love Myself” advances that message even more, along with a slick guitar riff that dials into the tight groove.

“It took my body over/ Lost all my composure/ Never felt quite like this before/ Chemistry is changing/ Emotions rearranging/ I’m out of my cage/ Broken my spell/ Think I might love myself,” Shomo sings about finding his purpose.

There’s abundant melody to go around, especially on acoustic ballad “Look the Other Way,” which crescendos with the rest of the band kicking in for the final chorus. nThe album’s closing track adeptly fuses aggression and melody on “I Was Alive,” which captures the dynamics of bands like  A Day To Remember.

Some of the album’s best material exists in the space that keeps Bearthooth’s driving heaviness while infusing an anthemic quality. “Riptide” and “Doubt Me” are defiant and empowering tracks that speak to the internal struggle to fight off the influences that bring you down.

“Give me all you got/ I can’t wait to watch you rot/ If there’s one thing you should learn about me/ It’s that you should never doubt me,” Shomo sings.

“What’s Killing You” opens with a brutal double bass attack before the song mellows a bit. It soars on Shomo’s well-delivered vocal and personal writing. “My New Reality” treads into emo with a healthy degree of heaviness. The heavy “What Are You Waiting For?” brings a rawness and finds some degrees of influence from Atreyu. Shomo’s voice is surprisingly soulful on “My New Reality.” The Surface finds Beartooth achieving musical maturity and growth.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.