The fourth full-length release from the Portsmouth ‘nucore’ band dropped today, and was highly anticipated by not just me! I’ve been a fan of this band for a couple of years now since their momentum in the underground scene has been picking up, and just knew I had to do a full review of it. So, well, here it is!
‘Ixnay’ wastes no time at all, exploding in with the band’s high energy, modern metal sound with an infectiously catchy chorus vocal-hook. It’s a real curious way to open the album, a real punch to the face with no build-up prior, but the heavy guitars mixed with the clean vocals and synth all sound so good, it’s impossible not to love. It gives off big Enter Shikari vibes, of course, but also some Fever 333 in the more rapped verses. Each part feels massive because of the instrumentation and attention to detail, a real testament to their songwriting and the producers skill. It’s a really interesting track that grew on me more and more throughout, and is a great first track to really set the tone for what the band are like and their sound/style!
‘Decayed Remains of Today’ keeps up the same chaotic, heavy, synth-drenched metal sound that the opener set up. It’s like a darker, grittier Electric Callboy, which I really love. Both the synth and the heavy guitars work so well together on this track, and the vocal delivery throughout is phenomenal. The chorus is amazing and so very catchy, the verses are surprisingly too, and the bridge builds up to just more awesomeness. It’s an amazing song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!
The next three tracks are the run of singles from the album. The lead single, ‘Resilient’, is a bit more metal focused, reminding me more of Architects than anything else. It’s packed full of some incredible riffs and more typically-metal vocal delivery. The guitars continue throughout too, less dynamics on display and less emphasis on the synth. It’s a straight-forward heavy track and I love it! The same could be said for ‘Times Change’, especially with that chorus. However, said track has a touch of a punk edge to it at times I thought, or at least leans slightly harder into the more hardcore side of metalcore. Then you have the most recent single which shockingly leans more into a pop-punk/indie/post-hardcore style. All three tracks are more amazing songs, with the middle one being another huge highlight and easily playlisted track. I find them really curious single releases, as they all show a completely different side to the band, constantly keeping the audience guessing. It also made for an easier listen to the album, as it was consistently changing and interesting.
‘How are Things Up North’ has a bit of an Architects sound to it too, but also draws so many other influences. From Prodigy to industrial stuff, it’s certainly another incredibly interesting addition to their sound from the album so far. I honestly love this track too, the electronic sounds once again blend perfectly with the more post-hardcore heaviness. It’s another easy highlight of the album, for me!
‘You Don’t Want None’ has much more of a 2000s pop/club music feel to it, alongside the dirty-low guitars and aggressively rapped vocals, of course! It’s a catchy chorus and the structure of the track is great, reprising it plenty between the big riffs and rapping. It’s like metal Scooter, and I kinda love it! It gets really heavy towards the end that I love, too! It’s an odd, interesting track that fits perfectly in the context and style of the album, but probably wouldn’t have for anyone else!
The industrial-tinged-Architects vibes continue on through ‘Blame Pain’ and ‘D.R.I.L.L.E.R.’, albeit in their own more nu-metal-infused style. Both are fantastic tracks yet again. Then the more punky elements come back for the closing track, ‘Hyperbolic’, it giving a combination of Fever 333 and Wargasm. It’s a fantastic song and a really great way to close out the album, feeling like it draws together elements of everything that had come before it. It’s an excellent finish to an excellent album!
Overall: As I just said, this is a really good release. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but the genre-blending and unique style the band have crafted should be enough to at least get heaps of appreciation from those that aren’t too into it. Every track on the album is incredible and unique, and they combine together perfectly. It’s 34-minutes of interesting, awesome modern metal that doesn’t hold anything back and wears its inspirations on its sleeve proudly. I’mma be spinning this a lot in the coming weeks and months, and can’t wait to hear some of this live!
The Score: 8.5/10