By Monk
These Bristolian upstarts are among a number of up-and-coming acts who are not only flying the flag for what could be seen as the previously stagnant metalcore scene but seeking to redefine, redevelop, re-ignite and reinvigorate it by blending and melding more and more external influences, especially from the worlds of EDM and industrial noise, to the extent that they have virtually invented a new sub-genre of their own: welcome to the Überverse of “nu-metalcore” \m/
What immediately strikes you about this second EP is the sense of omnipresent and prescient darkness, the dank atmosphere of the introductory title track – made all the more impressive by how much it manages to pack into less than 90 seconds of its vehement introduction – slowly crawling out of the sewer like something from the darkest recesses of James Herbert’s fervid imagination in its most twisted moment, a feeling of soon to be uncoiled tension about to be released broiling and bubbling just below the surface.
That tension is defiantly released on ‘Beneath The Hydrogen’, Adam Jones’ vocals snarling and spitting like a cornered viper over an equally snarly riff and huge rhythmic beatdown, combined with an impressive use of light and shade, as the band are not afraid to stop things dead in their tracks or introduce moments of introspective subtlety to add to the overall atmospheric impact.
The EP is bridged by its standout track, the magnificently titled ‘They’re Only There For Their Food and Then They’re There For Their Food’, with its dark, twisted, winding and simultaneously heavy-as-fuck riff drawing you deeper into the quartet’s similarly dark and twisted apocalyptic soundscapes which we cannot help but eat up with the enthusiasm of a zombie let loose in a room of defenceless teenagers.
The use of light and shade is highlighted by the slow build of ‘All, I Created’, which lulls you in with a misleading piano mien before Jones declares “fuck this” and punches you straight in the throat with another phlegm-projecting declaration of defiance. Closer ”Open! Shut’ sees Jones dropping the mic to rapper Blue Saint for a suitably claustrophobic conclusion to this short, sharp shock to the system.
- ‘Untethered‘ is out now.
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