Sworn Amongst – Reclamation


Sworn Amongst are one of the best-kept secrets in UK Metal – there is something familiar yet different to their approach to modern Metalcore. Indeed new EP Reclamation (Famined Records) is full to the brim with newly added strings to their musical bow.

Right off the bat we have ‘Enslaved’ a song just begging to be let off its leash the subtle and almost peaceful intro doesn’t outstay it’s welcome and it’s not long before they bring the thunder. There’s so much to love about this band the hooks, the technicality is all there in spades.

You get a real sense of how this band has grown since their inception. The music is watertight but never feels constrained, those subtle hints of Metalcore are still there but every now and then I got the whiff of At The Gates or early In Flames.

There’s just no let up at all on this EP – Sworn Amongst are simply on a mission to destroy. ‘Delusional’ rips and tears with no visible fucks given. The trade-off between heavy and clean vocals is here and is done to perfection. ‘Believe’ is a marvel and a showcase of the talent this band possesses, not since Heart Of A Coward or the sadly defunct Martyr Defiled have I heard a band be this good technically and also be able to write a song that has this many memorable riffs and vocal lines.

Perhaps the best way to sum up just how good this is would be to say that there is no deviation from the formula; this is as straight forward as it gets. But (and it’s a massive, goliath sized but), the way these songs are put together is nothing short of brilliant. Literally, anything you’d want from a modern Metal band is here on Reclamation. Groove, hooks, riffs, technical ability and most of all passion for your craft. The album, whenever it drops, is going to a leave a crater bigger than King Kong’s first dump of the day.

8 / 10

KIERAN MITCHELL