Loathe: I Let It In And It Took It Everything (Sharptone Records) [Liam True]
Since discovering this band in 2016 I’ve always kept a close eye on them when they’re been playing shows around the UK and have seen them everything they’ve played in Cardiff since I first saw them. A year later they released their phenomenal first full length The Cold Sun. Fast forward three years and they’ve become one of the biggest underground Metalcore acts of the decade playing festivals headlining and support shows. Now unleashing their second full length and their sound is bigger and as brutal than ever. Their blend of Metalcore, Nu-Metal and all things progressive provide a meaty base for their ideology and the perfect platform to make their mark in the scene. In the build up to the album since September 2019 they’ve released two singles and music videos for Gored & New Faces In The Dark respectively.
Now the album is upon us and it’s just as beautiful as I expected. First track Aggressive Evolution is aptly named as the musically fused sounding album kicks into full swing. From here on in it’s an unrelenting force hitting you from all sides with destructive breakdown coinciding with Kadeem France’s deathly growls and Erik Bickerstaffe’s choir like cleans. There’s no room to stop. No room to breathe. The only room you’ll have is to comprehend what’s going on with the experimental sound and how damn entrancing it is. The entire album itself is just an entire thrill ride through the eyes of the Liverpudlian band’s last few years since The Cold Sun. Now leading into the new chapter of their careers I Let It In is the biggest leap they’ve taken since releasing their music. And if you haven’t already, they’re a band you need to keep an eye on and if you’re in the area on their album release tour this month, then check them out. Their live presence is just insane. 10/10
Delain: Apocalypse & Chill (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]
The fourth album from Dutch Symphonic metal band Delain sees them still on the path to distance themselves from the huge glut of symphonic metal bands that were around at the time they formed, over time they've added lashings of electro pop, some Goth and emotive/personal lyrical content, much of this driven by their EP's where the experimentation pointed towards the direction they were going to take next. While they may not have the outright theatrical bombast of Nightwish or Epica, they do have a keen ear for good songwriting and even with the additions they have never really differed from what they did on their debut album, they have just refined it to a point where even those cynical about symphonic metal can admit to enjoying Delain. So what of Apocalypse & Chill? Well once again it's a record built around bouncy metal music, keening synths/electronics from Martijn Westerholt and the brilliant vocals of Charlotte Wessels who carries the drama of the apocalyptic lyrical content well on numbers like Creatures.
This time though they are without rhythm guitarist Merel Bechtold, though she does appear on the heavy Masters In Disguise this means that it's Timo Somers who handles all the guitars, giving a clinic on daring instrumental Combustion, along with giving some co-lead vocals on opener One Second, you also get Beast In Black man Yannis Papadopoulos on Vengeance pairing with Wessels well. Charlotte herself gives the most diverse vocal performance she has done on a record especially on the cinematic Ghost House Heart. Some of the albums best songs come towards the end of the record Legions Of The Lost is a case-in-point, a Danny Elfman-esque grandiose number, replete with choir, that serves as a condemnation of the difference between the social media world and the real one. Apocalypse & Chill sits as another fine example of symphonic metal from Delain, they are in a league of their own when it comes to their overall image and appeal, one of the exceptions to the rule, without doing anything too drastically different, but while they ramp up the heaviness yet again they have enough to seperate them from an ever-expanding pack. 8/10
The Cadillac Three: Country Fuzz (Big Machine Records) [Matt Bladen]
I will admit now that I used to love The Cadillac Three, they were always a little more than Southern rock band, bringing a massive amount of country swagger due to Jaren Johnston's history in the country music world. Now unfortunately their last record wasn't as it could have been, the band becoming a bit more of a generic classic rock act. On Country Fuzz they have reconnected with their roots, this is a record that can be considered Outlaw Country, hell it even name checks Bocephus and Zak Brown. It's the Cajun trio taking back their roots. Hard Out Here For A Country Boy swaggers with some mouth harp blues as Slow Rollin' and All The Makin's Of A Saturday Night channel the Little Ol' band from Texas.
Now there does seem to be an overarching theme on this record and it's something that has bothered me about the last time I saw the band live, every single song on this record, without fail, references or is directly about drinking beer and smoking weed. Not that there's anything wrong with either of these things (despite the obvious illegality of one), it is a little draining when 14 songs on album are basically about getting drunk and high. I thought we left that sort of thing behind in the 80's but TC3 seem to want to bring it back. Country Fuzz is something of a return for TC3 musically, looking back at their debut album which still holds up. However they may want to put down the bottle. 6/10
Titan Breed: Legacy EP (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]
M2TM alumni Titan Breed follow up their debut EP Edge Of The World with Legacy, a five track EP which covers a range of metal genres. If I had to put one of the cursed labels on the EP, I’d be looking at a cross over between nu-metal and metal core. Heavy on the riffs and the breakdowns, cleans interspersed with roaring gruff vocals and underpinned with plenty of melody. Vocalist Johnny Malice’s cleans echo Howard Jones although his gruff vocals align more with Sully Erna of Godsmack, albeit in a much lower capacity. Legacy opens the EP, a slow paced, heavy riffed track which benefits from the harmonies on the chorus. Destined To Fail comes right out of the Democratus stable, the battery of drums cements the duel guitar work of Stewart ‘Raggy’ Brown and Pete McCoy whilst Malice goes full roar. Track three bring Key To Fear, with a thrash chug that is reminiscent of Lamb Of God before it strangely fails to really ignite.
In fact, after the promising intro it’s probably the most disappointing song on the EP. Predictable and routine. Shades of 5FDP emerge on A Change Of Fate, some djent style bass breakdowns and a single riff giving it an industrial tinge. The chorus is another let down though, the song construction weak with the gravel-soaked vocals struggling. The EP closes with We Bring Destruction, a five-minute, muscular track with a decent stomp. Unfortunately, it isn’t particularly memorable and half-way through my attention had wandered. As an EP it works fine, but with several songs unremarkable, Legacy isn’t anywhere near the most exciting release you will hear this year. 5/10
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