By Monk
One of the beautiful things about the rock and metal scene is that it has always pushed its own boundaries, embracing other genres and integrating them into the basic generic mien, albeit to various degrees of success. But, then that is part of the travails of experimentation: most of the time you fail and burn down the laboratory, but on the odd occasion you succeed and produce a new formula for success.
Nu-metal sought to push the initial transitions between the metal and hip-hop worlds to the limits, while metalcore sought to capitalize upon this vibe by introducing elements of emo-punk into post-hardcore soundscapes, Inevitably, a new generation has come along and take things to the next level, re-energizing the genre yet again with the amalgamation of industrial and EDM ingredients into an altogether heady new mix of sonics. Immediate exemplars are the likes of Enter Shikari and, more latterly, Electric Callboy… now, Drip Fed Empire have thrown their reversed baseball caps into the arena of what is increasingly being described as “nu-metalcore”.
With eight tracks clocking in at a succinct yet elaborate 28 minutes, ‘Revolutionist’ is not exactly revolutionary as much as evolutionary, melding chiptune techno beats and samples into soundscapes dominated by crunching ‘core riffage, overtopped by suitably screamo vocals, which in turn mix with almost whispered rap elements to create a heady, potentially confusing but ultimately edifying recipe of amalgamated musical fusions.
If you’re a fan of likes of the aforementioned Enter Shikaria and Electric Callboy, or hail from the Slipknot generation, then you need to get all over these guys like a rash on a prostitute’s fanny. If not, well just give the guys a chance to impress you with their genuine emotional commitment, which oozes from every second of this impressive debut.
- ‘Revolutionist‘ is out now.
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