It was only last year that I reviewed a To The Grave album and really enjoyed it, so I was slightly surprised when I saw Everyone's A Murderer to review so quickly as sometimes when another album comes along so quickly you wonder if these tracks are going to be any good or are they just off casts from the previous recording session that didn’t make that cut the first time around?
I needn’t have worried too much as when Set Yourself On Fire (In Public) explodes into life I am greeted with something truly intense and staggeringly violent and thankfully the music hasn’t fallen into the overtly electronic sound that a lot of recent deathcore bands have adopted, this is a furious and heavy opener that takes no prisoners and on DxE Or Die while the speed of the song is taken back the heaviness is not this chock full of crunching beatdown riffing and some wonderfully savage drumming and is all done in just over 2 minutes of furious anger filled brutality.
Body For A Body has a stompy hardcore rhythm included and is once again full of the sort of intensity you just love to hear, the music is just a cloud of bitterness and animosity and the vocals take hold of your throat and throttle the life out of you there is no room for subtlety or politeness here and To The Grave are here to make a statement and you will listen whether you want to or not!
If you were in any doubt as to what the songs on this album are about Burn Your Local Butcher spells out their militant veganism in no uncertain terms and while it’s not something I am into and never really will be, you must give them credit for the way they absolutely ram their massages home in an unrelenting a passionate way and it doesn’t stop with Vegan Day of Violence either with both tracks being full of nastiness and spite that can maybe seem a bit over the top but when it sounds like this I can’t complain too much.
Gaschamber P.T then takes a completely different direction and is a 2-minute instrumental and it gives you time to take stock and get yourself back together, as much as it’s not really needed you can certainly appreciate the timing of it, of course the respite doesn’t last very long before Made In Aus is back to the brutal business as usual, its another bouncy hardcore number but has a slight tinge of the nu-metals about it but not in a way that is detrimental or disappointing its adds another layer of intrigue to the whole sound because usually when deathcore gets a bit nu-metally it also gets disappointing but To The Grave manage to blow this perception out of the water with style!
Eight Four One Six is a bit of a jumble stylistically and suffers slightly by maybe trying to do too much all at once as all the different sections make it stop start, it doesn’t fully gel together in all places, bit of a swing and a miss, with a bit more time and trimming this could have been another good track, Terrormilitary continues with the slightly odd song choices, here they go for a slow and vocal heavy lead track which doesn’t really do very much musically and when it does you just get the feeling its taking up space and not adding much to the album as a whole, thankfully they get back on track with closer Dead Wrong which is another round of savage and nasty deathcore which really comes as a relief as I didn’t want this album to just fizzle out and end on a disappointing note and thankfully it hasn’t.
For the most part this was a thrilling listen and throughout they certainly know how to make themselves heard, their messages are delivered with passion and fury and whether or not you are on the same page it has to be admired and applauded. Everyone's A Murderer won’t stand out as a genre classic, but it will leave most fans of deathcore who listen to it very happy and satisfied and also carries on a good run of releases from To The Grave. 8/10
Thrown - Excessive Guilt (Arising Empire)
Another week another metalcore release for me, this week I have the debut album Excessive Guilt from Sweden’s Thrown who have only been around for a few years and have released 1 EP and have had some massive numbers on streaming services and already supported some of the scenes heavyweights in their short time that they have been around, can they carry on the hot streak and make a mark with their debut?
The beginning of Guilt is jarring, sharp, and full of squealing guitars that mix with the standard beatdowny riffs that are expected nowadays and I’ve said it so many times in reviews of mine but I really struggle with the overtly electronic sound that is creeping into metalcore at the minute and its here again, for me it just takes away some of the power of the song and nothing changes much with Backfire this also mixes the tried and tested muted verse that explodes into the chug fest main part of the song and its done well enough but I kind of feel like it’s nothing I haven’t heard before and that can be a real problem with metalcore, you need something to really stand out from the crowd and so far there isn’t anything new here.
For the most part this was a thrilling listen and throughout they certainly know how to make themselves heard, their messages are delivered with passion and fury and whether or not you are on the same page it has to be admired and applauded. Everyone's A Murderer won’t stand out as a genre classic, but it will leave most fans of deathcore who listen to it very happy and satisfied and also carries on a good run of releases from To The Grave. 8/10
Thrown - Excessive Guilt (Arising Empire)
Another week another metalcore release for me, this week I have the debut album Excessive Guilt from Sweden’s Thrown who have only been around for a few years and have released 1 EP and have had some massive numbers on streaming services and already supported some of the scenes heavyweights in their short time that they have been around, can they carry on the hot streak and make a mark with their debut?
The beginning of Guilt is jarring, sharp, and full of squealing guitars that mix with the standard beatdowny riffs that are expected nowadays and I’ve said it so many times in reviews of mine but I really struggle with the overtly electronic sound that is creeping into metalcore at the minute and its here again, for me it just takes away some of the power of the song and nothing changes much with Backfire this also mixes the tried and tested muted verse that explodes into the chug fest main part of the song and its done well enough but I kind of feel like it’s nothing I haven’t heard before and that can be a real problem with metalcore, you need something to really stand out from the crowd and so far there isn’t anything new here.
On The Verge sounds like something you would hear on a mid 00’s Roadrunner release, it’s a mix of nu-metal and metalcore and unfortunately its really painful to listen to, it huffs and puffs without really doing much and really just passes you by, Bitter Friend follows the same trend really, its all tinny electronics and moody build up to a couple of heavy bits that thankfully is over and done with in just under 2 minutes so you don’t have to really waste too much of your time listening to it so that’s a bonus.
Nights obviously doesn’t stray too far from the familiar path that we have been going down and I know I may sound disappointed in what I am hearing so far and that’s because I am, there is not one new idea or shred of originality on show with this record, every single note and sound I have heard so far has been done so many already times before and to be brutally honest it’s all just been done so much better!
Look at me sounds so much like Bitter Friend I thought I had skipped back a couple of tracks, thankfully I hadn’t because I’m losing the will to live at this point, Dislike couldn’t really have a more suitable name for a song on this album and some of the lyrics here are just shockingly bad, Ignored should be taken as an instruction because this track just flashes by in a minute of pointless squeals and chugs then the closing three tracks, consist of copy and paste Bloodsucker, Vent & So Done and it will come as no shock to anyone to hear that they all just sound exactly the same and I cant really even be bothered to think of snappy insults for how they sound because, I am as Thrown have already said So Done it’s not even funny.
I had to cut this review a little shorter than usual because on Excessive Guilt, Thrown have produced something that could be listened to with your eyes closed and it could be compared to about 1000 other albums that sound like this, there was no originality on offer, and everything sounded forced and tired. For a band with so many streams and high-profile support slots maybe I expected a little too much, I don’t know? What I can confirm is that there is not a chance I would listen to this again as I struggled to even get through it the first time so have absolutely no real desire to want to put myself through it again anytime soon. 2/10
Worn Out - Low (Self Released)
Its not very often I get EP’s to review but I love it when I do because if it’s awful it doesn’t take up too much of my time but if its good it gives you a taster of what you can expect form an album or makes you want to dig deeper into the history of the band, this is what I have done with Ireland’s Worn Out, I can see a few single releases and another EP so far that have all had some nice words said about them, hope I’m not the odd one out?!!
On hearing the first notes of Deeper, I don’t think I am going to be disappointed with what I get as this is ferocious and feral sounding hardcore and Xander Coughlans vocals are right on the edge of sounding like he is going to breakdown at any minute and are heaving with emotion but there is a bit more punk energy mixed into this chaotic noisy hardcore, I don’t want to call it metalcore because it’s really not, it’s an unhinged and violent clash of punk, hardcore and metal and I am here for it!
I had to cut this review a little shorter than usual because on Excessive Guilt, Thrown have produced something that could be listened to with your eyes closed and it could be compared to about 1000 other albums that sound like this, there was no originality on offer, and everything sounded forced and tired. For a band with so many streams and high-profile support slots maybe I expected a little too much, I don’t know? What I can confirm is that there is not a chance I would listen to this again as I struggled to even get through it the first time so have absolutely no real desire to want to put myself through it again anytime soon. 2/10
Worn Out - Low (Self Released)
Its not very often I get EP’s to review but I love it when I do because if it’s awful it doesn’t take up too much of my time but if its good it gives you a taster of what you can expect form an album or makes you want to dig deeper into the history of the band, this is what I have done with Ireland’s Worn Out, I can see a few single releases and another EP so far that have all had some nice words said about them, hope I’m not the odd one out?!!
On hearing the first notes of Deeper, I don’t think I am going to be disappointed with what I get as this is ferocious and feral sounding hardcore and Xander Coughlans vocals are right on the edge of sounding like he is going to breakdown at any minute and are heaving with emotion but there is a bit more punk energy mixed into this chaotic noisy hardcore, I don’t want to call it metalcore because it’s really not, it’s an unhinged and violent clash of punk, hardcore and metal and I am here for it!
Twisting Knives then sounds absolutely huge because Alexander Heinrich gives us crunching riffs that drip with melancholic rage and unbridled savageness and the way he bleeds every note out of his guitar is truly beautiful carnage and the way the bass of Brain Poell and the drums of Evan Prendergast hold everything together with a sparse, yet warming thud is another beautiful touch.
From the second I hear Lose Sleep I instantly think Will Haven and because of this I love this track, its not that it is a carbon copy of the Will haven sound it just has that doomy melancholic but ultimately brutally aggressive sound to every note and is distilled chaos in song form, the unhinged nature of the delivery is just breath taking wonderful to listen to and out of nowhere Master is the last track and once again it is just an unbridled and crazy sounding barrage of noise that jars and punishes in equal measure.
There’s not a single second wasted in the way Worn Out hone the attack and the constant nature of the savage noise is just what is needed in this day of ‘’modern’’ metal with stupidly big productions and all the bells and whistles, sometimes all you need is a short, sharp shock of sounds that are so intense yet still grimey and dark to show you how it‘s really done.
I knew from the second Low tasrted I was going to enjoy it but, in fact I loved it! The only disappointment is that it wasn’t a full album because ultimately, I was left wanting more of this and if that is my only problem then I can’t really complain! Keep an eye out for Worn Out because if they keep up this sort of form they have a massive future ahead of them. 10/10
Furnace - Trojan Hearse (Obelisk Polaris Productions)
I knew from the second Low tasrted I was going to enjoy it but, in fact I loved it! The only disappointment is that it wasn’t a full album because ultimately, I was left wanting more of this and if that is my only problem then I can’t really complain! Keep an eye out for Worn Out because if they keep up this sort of form they have a massive future ahead of them. 10/10
Furnace - Trojan Hearse (Obelisk Polaris Productions)
After only forming in 2019 Furnace have been busy boys, Trojan Hearse is listed as their fifth album already and that shows either an impressive amount of material or a complete lack of self-control on their behalf, I have also read that this is a concept album which is nothing new for Furnace apparently? Not sure what to make of this but there is only one way to find out.
A Wreath For The Departed starts the adventure into the unknown and has a slow and thoughtful tone that then has a mix of melodic death metal and thrash but doesn’t seem to settle on either style and its very one paced and it doesn’t really inspire much in the way of enjoyment for me as there isn’t much variation, the same can be said of Morbid Fascination it’s definitely more on the melodic death metal side this time but the issue I have is it’s just already too mid-paced and never really does that much different for the whole song so ends up getting a bit boring, Trojan Hearse at the beginning offers more in the way tempo and is slightly more driving and forceful than the previous track but does end up falling into the familiar path and not using enough variation, there is no surprises or twists in the music and it doesn’t really make me want to get involved in the story they are trying to tell because I just really want the songs to end!
A Wreath For The Departed starts the adventure into the unknown and has a slow and thoughtful tone that then has a mix of melodic death metal and thrash but doesn’t seem to settle on either style and its very one paced and it doesn’t really inspire much in the way of enjoyment for me as there isn’t much variation, the same can be said of Morbid Fascination it’s definitely more on the melodic death metal side this time but the issue I have is it’s just already too mid-paced and never really does that much different for the whole song so ends up getting a bit boring, Trojan Hearse at the beginning offers more in the way tempo and is slightly more driving and forceful than the previous track but does end up falling into the familiar path and not using enough variation, there is no surprises or twists in the music and it doesn’t really make me want to get involved in the story they are trying to tell because I just really want the songs to end!
Labyrinth Of Souls is predictably slow and here they take a more spacious angle and the music is paired back somewhat allowing the vocals their turn to shine and lead the song but, surprise, surprise the vocals have all literally been exactly the same from the minute the album started to right now and while they are nice and full sounding they are so one toned it just amounts to more of the same all the time. The Divine Blow then is somewhat of a welcome relief as it ups the tempo dramatically and has more of the thrash sound and while its not exactly fast or furious it mixes all of the more melodic influences together nicely and finally injects a bit of life into proceedings which is unfortunately very much needed already.
All The Devils carries on with the more up tempo feeling and is another passable and safe track that never pushes the boundaries or challenges you it just sort of happens and this is my main issue, nothing really stands out all tracks just feel so safe and risk free, there is noting that has really stood out and made me sit up and really enjoy, Through The Jungle (By The River Styx) has a feeling of arena rock in the way the guitars are played and adds a more theatrical sound to the album that hasn’t previously been around and while its usually not my sort of thing the more dramatic sound does benefit the song and makes it a bit more interesting which at this point is really needed.
Never Mine is a doomier than anything else and it of course is sloooooooooooooow because of this but not in too much of a detrimental way out of all the slow tracks this is easily the standout one so far this carries over to the opening notes of Metamorphosis but it’s not long before we get the familiar sound, and everything just gets back to being pedestrian and kind of meh? So, after what seems like a lifetime Ride The Hearse (Going Home) is the last track and it offers noting new or surprising as was promised in the PR material I read beforehand it is another thrashy melodic death metal track that just sort of closes with a predictable whimper as opposed to a bang.
My overriding feeing now that this is finished is just one of boredom in all honesty, this might sound harsh but the whole album was just so one paced, there was nothing that pulled you in or made you want more, it all just plodded along mundanely and it feels like maybe instead of constantly releasing albums, they should take some time and concentrate on the quality as opposed to the quantity. 4/10
My overriding feeing now that this is finished is just one of boredom in all honesty, this might sound harsh but the whole album was just so one paced, there was nothing that pulled you in or made you want more, it all just plodded along mundanely and it feels like maybe instead of constantly releasing albums, they should take some time and concentrate on the quality as opposed to the quantity. 4/10
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