Metalcore is a style of music that will likely always have appeal, and always have avid listeners, but few in the genre can land a knockout at the start. Bristol UK metalcore scene newcomers In Fear have wound up and clocked quite the sucker punch to the noses of the dubious and unsuspecting.
The late-2019 worldwide pandemic has once again found itself sandwiched between album releases, and subsequently left its mark on the band members of Crown The Empire (Rise Records). Their fifth full-length album, DOGMA, produced and mixed by Zach Jones (Fever 333, Poorstacy, Scene Queen, Nova Twins), sees a diverse album fueled by angst, crisis, isolation, and resilience. Touring drummer turned band member Jeeves Avalos completes the lineup for this album cycle and offers his creative input, and thus, it is the dawning of a new age for Crown The Empire.
For a band that hasn’t changed their sound much over the course of almost twenty years, Pennsylvania quintet August Burns Red miraculously continues to stay not only relevant but one of the most widely respected acts in modern metal.
Everywhere, Everything (Arising Empire) is the fifth album from Polar, the Hardcore natives of Guildford, Surrey (UK), and is the follow-up to 2019’s Nova. It is a collection of songs written together during the pandemic, and with their current lineup for the first time, which had brought a premature end to their tour with After The Burial, Spiritbox, and Make Them Suffer.
Metalcore has evolved significantly since the early 2000s, with countless bands finding their own creative strategies to embrace the melodic side of the genre without forgetting about its metal roots. Rising up from Marl, Germany, Our Mirage solidify what makes their brand of metalcore special with their somber yet hard-hitting tone as well as their captivating ways of storytelling. Their sophomore album Eclipse (Arising Empire) takes the heavy rock riffing and balances it with atmospheric touches that bring out a certain delicacy amongst the havoc.
Any band who knows how to blur the lines between two styles that are normally considered drastically different deserves some praise for that alone, and groups like Lincoln, UK’s Borders continue to push those boundaries. Their sophomore album Bloom Season (Arising Empire) ventures further on their seamless mingling of metalcore and hip-hop, yet there is no shortage of either genre’s core elements. While some tracks may embrace one over the other, the balance is consistent, making for a record easily accessible to a wide range of music fans. Continue reading
There is still a ton left to be done in Metal and Rock music. If you’re one of those people who assumes rock is dead simply because it’s not as mainstream as it once was, I am truly sorry for all the amazing new bands you’re missing out on. Among many others, New Zealand quintet Crooked Royals are opening eyes to the many ways the genre is evolving and raising questions of where else it could go from here.
Architects have been a busy band indeed these last couple of years, and it was initially somewhat of a surprise when they announced the release of their tenth studio album so soon after 2021’s game-changing career-shift in style on For Those That Wish To Exist, and the records accompanying Abbey Road Live recording that was released earlier this year.
But with For Those That Wish To Exist providing the Brighton based band their first UK number one release, and a diminished touring cycle providing the increased opportunity for writing new material and hitting the studio, it actually makes sense that Architects are looking to capitalise and continue their momentum on the upward trajectory into the arena rock band they are becoming.
Scars For You To Remember (Fearless Records) is the third full-length album from a Philadelphia-based five-piece that has created an engaging slice of industrialized post-hardcore, that will find a willing audience from fans of Code Orange and the like. Varials spent six weeks together holed up in a remote mountain house writing, before locking down in the studio and recording with producer Jeff McKinnon (Broken Youth / Lasciate).
Not long after sitting down with the self-titled release (M-Theory Audio) from Living Wreckage, it becomes abundantly clear that metallic, dazzling and thumping guitars take center stage.Continue reading