By Phil Cooper
Metalcore newcomers Groom Lake have arrived with their debut EP ‘Fallen Earth’. The Brighton based five-piece are ready to stamp their mark on the scene and bring their sound to a wider audience with these self-released seven tracks. With the release date set for later this month, what do Groom Lake bring to the table and can they stand out from the crowd?
Kicking straight into ‘Titan’s Teeth’, the listener is presented with a sledgehammer of sound. Chunky guitar riffs combine with a powerful rhythm section delivering an all-out sonic assault. The dynamics shift down allowing for reverb washed vocals to take a foot hold in the verse before the texture shifts back to the full band throughout the chorus and breakdown sections. It’s a solid start to the release and pulls the listener into the Groom Lake sound.
While ‘Titan’s Teeth’ does exactly what it should in terms of introducing the band’s sound and style. The real power of the ep comes from the following tracks. The second track, ‘Unearthed’ offers up some very catchy guitar riffs and a more aggressive vocal delivery. The melodic lines are fleshed out with a competing rhythm section that swells the track to a greater intensity than the opener.
As the EP progresses there’s plenty to keep the listener interested. Guitar lead lines that serve to accentuate the melodies as well as proving the talent of the musicians playing them are laced throughout each track. Tracks such as ‘Someone’s Son’, ‘No Relief’ and closing track ‘Grave’ exemplify the metalcore style and provide a further introduction to Groom Lake. The balance of subtle and obvious melody lines combined with the tight powerhouse rhythm section forces the ears to pay attention to the music. While there is an obvious focus on the instruments, the vocals are always at the fore. The raw yet passionate delivery drives home the lyrical content and matches the intensity of the music. There are no elements neither instrumentation, nor compositional that appear out of place. Nothing is done for the sake of it. The dynamics, layering and time changes are all adding weight and value to the tracks.
It’s tempting to go into much greater detail with what is on offer with ‘Fallen Earth’, there’s a lot of elements to unpack and something new comes up with each run through. However, I don’t want to dissect it too much. The mix gives the music a colossal sounding edge that should be experienced firsthand without going into all the layers. With seven tracks on offer this release could be seen as more of an album than an EP, be that as it may it’s an excellent release. Each track is a statement in its own right combining to form an introduction to Groom Lake. With no filler in sight and a powerful sound, the five-piece may well have struck upon an ideal springboard to see themselves launch in the UK metal scene.
- ‘Fallen Earth’ is released on Friday 26 June. You can get your copy, and other Groom Lake goodies, HERE.
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