By Jonny Bakes
I’m continuing my adventure of discovering bands from the far reaches of the globe and this week that takes me to Japan. While you may immediately think that I’m about to tell you about the next Babymetal or perhaps some J-rock sensation, you would be sorely mistaken. Instead I’m getting to grips with a band who have really nailed the metalcore genre and have already made waves through two consecutive appearances at Wacken Open Air. This alone makes me think that this is something we need to experience here in the ÜK, so with the arrival of the new album it’s time I made like Homer and went on my own metalcore odyssey.
‘Odyssey’ is one of those albums that hits hard from the very start and maintains the energy and pace throughout the album to simply blow you away. With mega riffs, breakdowns and aggressive vocals, you’ll find yourself being reminded of the early days of Parkway Drive but there’s more… These are balanced with some fantastic melodic passages of clean vocals that convey and invoke emotion without tearing you away completely from the aggressive nature of the music. To pull all of this off, like many Japanese bands, the musicianship is something else. The melodic guitar riffs are captivating and the rhythm section provides the punch that ties the whole thing together into a monster of a metalcore album that will result in pits galore.
After a brief introductory track, you are immediately slapped around the face with the title track ‘Odyssey’ which does a fantastic job of both drawing you in to the album and setting the tone for what you’re about to experience. And if you’re like me you’ll listen to this and say something along the lines of ‘fuck me’ and realize that this could be something a bit special. It opens with melodic shredding followed by a guttural scream that leads into those aggressive vocals and some real filthy riffs that will get the ol’ head banging for sure. The clean chorus is somewhat reminiscent of Killswitch Engage, particularly in the way that this is played off against the gruff vocals that dominate the majority of the song. If all of that wasn’t enough, ‘Odyssey’ also brings the gift of a nasty breakdown – quite simply, it’s one hell of a song and one that’ll be on regular rotation for me!
Let’s look at the back end of the album too, where the instrumental track ‘Forever’ brings forth a gentle traditional japanese-sounding melody set to a lofi beat. This brief moment of serenity is abruptly broken by the final track, and another very memorable number, ‘Tokyo’. Perhaps most striking about this song is the guitar riff at the chorus which threatens to be a serious earworm and has looped around my head for hours after listening to the album. I enjoyed the additional touch of throwing back to the previous track with a short sample of the melody in the middle of the song that ties the two tracks together to act as one piece of music. The important question, though, is “does this song slap?” and the answer to that is a very clear “fuck yeah!”
It’s pretty simple really, ‘Odyssey’ is a serious contender for album of the year. I came into this review with high expectations given the impact Sable Hills have had on Wacken in recent years and those expectations weren’t just met, but completely exceeded. Where metalcore can get a bit stale at times, this album has renewed my love and excitement for the genre and I cannot get enough. There’s something here for fans of Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, In Flames and Malevolence. The combination of melodies and heavy breakdown goodness is exactly what I need to scratch both of those itches at once.
Hell, if you listen to one new release this month, do me a favour and make sure that Sable Hill’s ‘Odyssey’ is the one! If this doesn’t make them a clear option for Bloodstock 2025, then I don’t know what will… let’s hope this gets the attention of Vicky and Adam, then you’ll find me down the front for the set!
- ‘Odyssey‘ is released today (Friday 19 July).
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