Reviews: I Prevail, I See Stars, Airborn, Shape Of Water (Matt Bladen)

I Prevail - Violent Nature (Fearless Records)

Grammy nominated band I Prevail have had a shake up in their ranks on new album Violent Nature, co-vocalist Brian Burkheiser has left and while Steve Menoian still plays studio bass, touring bassist Jon Eberhard is now an official member as well as being a producer for the record to. 

So there's been some shifting in this post-hardcore mob but for the most part Violent Nature is I Prevail doing what they have been doing since forming in 2013, fusing aggression with introspection, heaviness with atmospherics, Crimson & Clover highlighting the latter very well as the thundering God takes the former.

The emotions weigh heavy throughout from the building beginning of Synthetic Soul, into the electronically tinged metalcore of NWO where the heavy comes in hard. However on Pray and Annihilate Me things get taken back to that type of musical catharsis the band have always done so well. 

This is the first record where Eric Vanlerberghe is the sole vocalist and to be honest I'm not sure why they had a second singer as his cleans and screams are both delivered well. From the rage of the blistering title track, through the brooding Rain and towards the final steins of Stay Away. I Prevail have delivered another lesson in modern post hardcore on Violent Nature. 7/10

I See Stars - The Wheel (Sumerian Records)

Electonicore, alrighty then...

It's the genre tag of choice for Brent Allen (guitar), Andrew Oliver (keyboards/programming), Devin Oliver (vocals) and Jeff Valentine (bass) aka I See Stars, a band who haven't release a record for the best part of decade save for a few stand alone singles in recent years. 

These all appear here but The Wheel is a brand new record from a band who blend electronic music with metalcore (thus the genre tag) and they have some strict listening instructions around it.

The Wheel has a theme too it, not necessarily a concept but it's designed to be a full album not just a collection of songs, it's a theme that links the record together this cohesion coming from a refocussing of writing material that matched their vision. 

With an album scrapped during Covid, they set to work on what was to become The Wheel, using the time they had form not touring to produce music that was more sophisticated and cohesive, deeper in a lot of respects than before. 

There's an element of luck in the writing process approaching the album with an idea of a Wheel, spinning a load of effects and influences together, to create these soundscapes that will thrill fans of the genre as the band continue to shape the electonicore tag alongside Enter Shikari, The Browning and Electric Callboy. 

The personal nature of tracks is quite strong too, Carry On For You, for instance, takes the more melodic route of 30 Seconds To Mars, in tribute to Devin and Andrew's uncle while they bring more balladry on Lost which features Palaye Royale. 

With many bands in that metalcore sphere now adding the electronic music elements, it's bands like I See Stars that continue to innovate the style. 7/10

Airborn - Lizard Secrets Part Three: Utopia (Fighter Records)

Possibly subtitled, David Icke The Musical, Lizard Secrets Part Three is the seventh studio album from Italian power metal act Airborn. It's a concept, obviously but don't overlook it if you haven't heard the first two parts. 

The music of Airborn stands on its own without the overarching sci-fi concept. The previous two came in 2018 and 2020 respectively but part three doesn't shift too far away from it's predecessors. 

This is another Italian band doing German heavy metal (see Trick Or Treat) with an influence of Helloween and Iron Savior and Freedom Call all named in the PR, so there's plenty of twin axe attack, massive choruses and gallops. 

All are very obvious from the first moments of Kings Of Melody, as well as tracks such as the bouncy Futuremaker, the dramatic Magic Bullet, and the harmonised Soldiers Of Fortune all of which have the influence of that Teutonic power metal style, but they aren't one dimensional adding some hard rock balladry to My Own World and heavy rocking on Oil's Well That Doesn't End Well. 

If you're a fan of German heavy metal then you'll love the new album from these Italians. 8/10

Shape Of Water – Petrichor (Self Released)

Shape Of Water are a Manchester duo who are both multi-instrumentalists, Rox Capriotti and Luc De Falco spread the instrumentation between them with Rox taking vocals, on this third album Petrichor, they brought in Tom Monk behind the kit. Petrichor is smell of rain after a long dry smell, for many it’s quite evocative and maybe even a little romantic and that’s the sort of idea that the band want to create. 

Petrichor is a cinematic record, sculpting a thematic link throughout the songs so the record feels like a story being told. Lyrically inspired by primal emotions, the act of letting go, it’s the broadest soundscapes yet, the production from Capriotti swelling the cinematic elements with the right amount of bombast, the Intro setting the scene as the two sides of the record are split by the introspective jazz and slow build of interlude, ...Diverged. 

Their influences speak for themselves as while Letting You Go has all the bombastic, theatrics and harmony guitar of Queen. Where I Belong comes in full of angular alt rock ala Smashing Pumpkins and Salt & Mercury, however, has the garage rock fuzz of White Stripes or Royal Blood. The rest of the album though slips easily into the synth heavy rock of Muse, the combination of synths and guitars leading to tracks such as Out Of Time having an EDM thump while there are pulsating synthwave sounds on Last Goodbyes. 

Shape Of Water fill your ears with sound, anthemic electro-rock with carries emotional weight to it. 8/10