By Jonny Bakes
It’s been far too long since I last managed to sit down and actually listen to an album all the way through and throw down my opinion for you all to enjoy, but today I felt it was the right time to ease back into things so I will start with something small but far from light…
Promising to be an aggressive representation of the world today, this EP from Sour Times could quite possibly be the thing that will ‘Awaken the Voiceless’. This latest outing from the Masshole trio comes hot on the heels of their 2021 full length release ‘11th Hour’ so there’s clearly a healthy amount of inspiration, but when you’re raging about the sorry state of affairs that we live in, there’s plenty to express!
‘Awaken The Voiceless’ may only be a short EP, clocking in at a little over 15 minutes long, but it certainly manages to pack a punch. The blend of hardcore vocals with melodic passages that remind me of more recent Trivium and Slipknot choruses makes for something that is both aggressive yet still accessible to many. The riffs are pretty catchy but didn’t really grab me as the main focus but instead provide a launchpad for the vocals to deliver the message. And that message is essentially something like “the world is shit and everything is corrupt so it’s time that we rise up and do something about it.” which is a message I can get behind.
The album starts with ‘People Over Profit’ which is one of the stand out tracks that leaves an impression from the very start, making it clear why it was chosen as the album opener. Even before it started, I was drawn to the title which resonated with me somewhat, although I’m pretty sure that the reverse of the statement is normally true with profits over people being the norm… funnily enough that seems to be the message of this song too! The melodic chorus and the venom with which “people over profit” is spouted would be perfect for a live performance that I would be seriously interested to experience!
But, naturally, the title track ‘Awaken The Voiceless’ is the real centrepiece of this tasty morsel of an EP. “Revolt is our only choice. United, they’ll hear our voice.” – that’s the line that really sold this to me, it’s a rallying cry for revolution delivered with such aggressive conviction that you’d be hard pressed to ignore it! But that’s not the only rallying cry in this song. In fact it’s chock full of them, but one other that really grabbed me is “greed can not be killed with kindness”; I mean fucking hell, that’s a real truth that people need to hear!
All in all, ‘Awaken The Voiceless’ is a little raw and could benefit from a little polishing, but only to sharpen up the production a touch. An EP such as this needs some rawness to add authenticity to the aggression that’s being conveyed in the music. I’d say that there’s something here for fans of Gojira and Trivium, and perhaps Slipknot too, who are looking for something up and coming to get their teeth into. For me, this was definitely a good way to dive back into the old music reviewing with something that appealed to my ideals whilst giving me a reason to headbang again!
Only time will tell if this will indeed ‘Awaken The Voiceless’ but it will certainly be relatable to many and that will be a start.
- ‘Awaken The Voiceless’ is released on Friday 13 October.
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