Buffalo, New York's metal/hardcore bruisers Every Time I Die continue to bring the pain on their ninth studio album. It’s a record filled to the brim with incandescent rage and encapsulating a lot of the feelings of anger and isolation that is rife throughout of the United States. This record started being written in September 2020, just when America was at its most unstable for years, the album standing as a diatribe against the Trump administration and the huge divides in the country at that time. However it has only now seen the light of day as the release had been delayed because the pandemic despite it being complete before the world went to hell.
Across the 15, sub four minute offerings here (the final track, We Go Together is a five minute cracker) ETID, manage to pack in tonnes of musical impressiveness along with an uncompromising ideology. Their hardcore edge giving way to, metalcore, Southern metal (sexsesex) and some anthemic metal on Post-Boredom. It’s here that Keith Buckley’s knack for an acerbic, sarcastic lyric, his defiant vocal defining why ETID are so well respected, he barks, screams and pleads on Desperate Pleasures, a track that is volatile and vital, Thing With Feathers meanwhile throws out that more melodic, anthemic side of the band Buckley displaying the other side of his vocal prowess. It seem as if I’m focussing a lot on the frontman, but much of why EITD are considered to be on top of their pile is due to his way to grab you by the throat and make you take notice. However any frontman is only as good as the band he’s playing with luckily ETID have an instrumental section that bludgeons.
Andy Williams carves out meaty riffs like a Butcher, his frenzied assault on tracks like the breakdown heavy Hostile Architecture or the punky AWOL are backed by Steve Micciche’s growling bass and Clayton “Goose” Holyoak’s punchy drumming. As this noise is ringing in your ears Jordan Buckley’s lead guitars create arpeggiated counter riffs and lead breaks to expand the bands musical remit from just hardcore violence. Take for example a track like White Void which has touches of psychedelic post metal and befits a more experimental guitar style, yet still fits with the overall tone of the record. Their last album Low Teens, was considered to be a masterstroke, Radical, is nothing short of a masterpiece, distilling everything that makes the band great and worthy of their place at modern metalcore/hardcore’s top table. 8/10
Slow Crush - Hush (Church Road Records) [Alex Swift]
As their name would seem to attest to, Slow Crush perfect a hypnotising blend of post-rock and shoegaze, that’s serene yet often disquieting. The compositions sway from beautiful and melodic to dizzying and ethereal in their progression, each transition feeling natural, and each element balanced out with another, giving this act their almost neoclassical charm. Hush is a brilliant showcase of their abilities both as writers who eloquently command emotions and musicians with a diverse skill set. The album employs dirge-like, mercurial textures, summoning proverbial sensations of winter and shadow. This will be the perfect album to listen to as the nights get longer and the days colder yet could also accompany moods of despair or sensations of hopelessness surrounding the pandemic. However, in entering such a dim chapter in their progression, they also add a romantic and sentimental dimension – Hush is a record, in that sense, that reminds us there is comfort in sadness and solace in the dark.
As their name would seem to attest to, Slow Crush perfect a hypnotising blend of post-rock and shoegaze, that’s serene yet often disquieting. The compositions sway from beautiful and melodic to dizzying and ethereal in their progression, each transition feeling natural, and each element balanced out with another, giving this act their almost neoclassical charm. Hush is a brilliant showcase of their abilities both as writers who eloquently command emotions and musicians with a diverse skill set. The album employs dirge-like, mercurial textures, summoning proverbial sensations of winter and shadow. This will be the perfect album to listen to as the nights get longer and the days colder yet could also accompany moods of despair or sensations of hopelessness surrounding the pandemic. However, in entering such a dim chapter in their progression, they also add a romantic and sentimental dimension – Hush is a record, in that sense, that reminds us there is comfort in sadness and solace in the dark.
Opening piece Drown, beautifully immerses the listener in its experiments with distortion and sonic exploration. The piece is captivating in that it’s dreamlike yet bears nightmarish qualities, as if its peacefully singing to you while luring you into something sinister and ominous. Isa Holliday’s vocals are almost surreal in their otherworldly quality, yet that’s the same element that makes them fascinating. Following work Blue entrances and stimulates through its chaos and eery dissonance, while Swoon exemplifies these musicians command of contrast, and Gloom yearns with illustrious emotional textures, further intriguing the listener. Indeed, on that point about how brilliantly the art of contradiction is summoned throughout, although this is a harsh and brutal album in many respects – not least on the discordant Swivel and the gigantic title track – that severity is part of its exquisiteness.
In a sense, while this is a technical record, brought to life by the striking guitar work of Ronsman and Jullet, the writing and production fulfil the experience, giving it that mesmeric and spellbinding feel. Overall, Hush see’s Slow Crush refining and shaping their sound to perfection. Despite its downhearted nature, it’s an assuaging listen, where the sections of melancholy are balanced with ones of peacefulness and tranquillity. In coalescing these seemingly distinct concepts of stoicism and innocence, they have created an album which transcends genre. 8/10
Devoid - Lonely Eye Movement (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
With the frankly ridiculous amount of bands we review week to week, month to month, it’s always nice to be surprised. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much when I first saw French melodic metal band Devoid in my review pile, however after the first listen, I realised that I’d underestimated the band massively. Lonely Eye Movement is their second album but their first for Frontiers Music, they sent their music to the Frontiers Beyond website for consideration and were picked up by the label and signed to a multi album deal. It’s easy to hear why they impressed the label as their melodic metal sound is quite impressive and much more mature than their first album (which I went back and listened to for comparison) here they have brought together anthemic melodic metal and progressive flourishes.
With the frankly ridiculous amount of bands we review week to week, month to month, it’s always nice to be surprised. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much when I first saw French melodic metal band Devoid in my review pile, however after the first listen, I realised that I’d underestimated the band massively. Lonely Eye Movement is their second album but their first for Frontiers Music, they sent their music to the Frontiers Beyond website for consideration and were picked up by the label and signed to a multi album deal. It’s easy to hear why they impressed the label as their melodic metal sound is quite impressive and much more mature than their first album (which I went back and listened to for comparison) here they have brought together anthemic melodic metal and progressive flourishes.
This record come four years after their debut and in that four years they have clearly honed themselves as a band as much of their impact comes from Jorris Guilbaud’s cinematic keys/synths and Shad Mae’s expressive guitar playing. Mae founded the band and he obviously has an affinity with bands such as Circus Maximus, Shadow Gallery and DGM, the virtuoso playing heightened by an ear for catchy melodic hooks and a tougher sound than many melodic metal acts. Trading off guitar playing with Mae is Gwen Kerjan with a powerful rhythm base coming from Geofreey Neau (bass) and Benjamin Lesous (drums) adding a grunt to tracks such as Imposter or the theatrical Destination Heaven which really amps up the guitar playing as well.
For the vocals Devoid have got brawny pipes of German Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schultz who has a delivery not too far removed from Saxon’s Biff Byford. His burly singing is perfect for this style and even sounds great on the synthwave inspired ballad Waiting For The Storm a track that also features some slinky sax playing, the sax coming back on final jazz odyssey Wood And Wind. These little flourishes adding quality to this record and moving away from the standard melodic metal fodder. Well worth delving into if you like bands such as Pagan’s Mind and DGM, Lonely Eye Movement is a defining release from Devoid. 8/10
Davy Knowles – What Happens Next? (Provogue Records) [Alex Swift]
This singer-songwriter engages with influences from traditional blues to rock and roll. However, while he’s become famed for his technical skill, What Happens Next? – as the title would suggest – is an attempt to move forward into the realm of personal and considered songwriting. According to Knowles he wanted to “curb” his temptation to showcase his guitar mastery in order “to let the songs breathe". Upon listening, while I’d certainly say that Knowles achieved that with this album, these anthems remain noticeably grounded in those same traditional inspirations that their writer has been employing throughout his career.
This singer-songwriter engages with influences from traditional blues to rock and roll. However, while he’s become famed for his technical skill, What Happens Next? – as the title would suggest – is an attempt to move forward into the realm of personal and considered songwriting. According to Knowles he wanted to “curb” his temptation to showcase his guitar mastery in order “to let the songs breathe". Upon listening, while I’d certainly say that Knowles achieved that with this album, these anthems remain noticeably grounded in those same traditional inspirations that their writer has been employing throughout his career.
Opening piece Light Of The Moon has a high-tempo groove and gets the record started in impressive style. Our frontman has a soft yet soulful quality to his voice which compliments the deeply melodic yet passionate tone of the music on display. In fact, on moments like Heartbreak Or Nothing and Wake Me Up When The Nightmare Is Over Knowles shows his commitment to making a shift towards a more song-orientated approach known with hints of folk and southern rock. Likewise, Roll Me is imbued with soulful vibes, given life by the resounding guitars and subtle key accentuations. Meanwhile, Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is a moodier piece, akin to our frontman’s older work but this time with a lot more reliance on tone and mood setting, while River combines influences from Pink Floyd to Cream, in an indulgent but emotional piece.
The album ends on the contemplative If I Ever Meet My Maker - a beautiful song that showcases just how far this musician has come in his writing, as well as his unique flair for paying homage to the classics, while bringing in lots of sentimentality and emotional heft of his own. There is nothing spectacularly impressive here, but this album at its best is a carefully crafted set of songs, with a lot of passion and heart behind them. 7/10
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