Flying On Clipped Wings

Metalcore might not be going through a renaissance at the moment, but there is most definitely an increase in bands willing to do interesting things with the style compared to even just 3 years prior in 2014. Among this new crop is a band from Liverpool by the name of Loathe, with a grimy, progressive, industrial hued take on the style. In the footsteps of Code Orange and Knocked Loose, Loathe have a dark foreboding atmosphere melded onto some of the filthiest riffs in the genre, yet they manage to make themselves distinguishable from the pack with a number of features. For one, they’re more indebted to nu metal than first wave metalcore, with this coming out in a number of ways. Like many UK metalcore bands, the vocals bear a strong influence from Sam Carter of Architects, yet the auditory violence of those screams blends well with some soaring cleans and robotic melancholy woven through the record. The dark textures that helped Slipknot stand above the pack are present here, w...

Anyone who’s vaguely plugged into the –core side of metal knows Australia’s been a hotbed of distinctive and powerful acts in that scene, from Parkway Drive and I Killed The Prom Queen in the 00’s, to Northlane, In Hearts Wake and Thy Art Is Murder. Ocean Grove are the latest addition to this canon, despite being active since 2010, they’re releasing their debut album in 2017. Nu metal has been making a slow and steady comeback over the 2010s yet has never quite reached the same level of ubiquity it enjoyed in its heyday. Ocean Grove fit into this nu metal with added -core revival trend, yet they’re able to add a fresh and innovative spin on it in a sea of Slipknot riffs and Linkin Park inspired choruses. The main thing that stands out about this record is the diverse range of influences at play, a grab-bag approach reminiscent of Faith No More. The typical influences you might imagine are clearly observable here, Limp Bizkit’s bounce, the futuristic crunch of Bring Me The Horizo...

Emerging from the British metal/hardcore scene of the mid ‘00s as scrappy Dillinger Escape Plan and Johnny Truant acolytes, Architects have evolved over time into one of the most distinct and vicious metalcore acts, over 10 years of activity and 6 full lengths behind them. With a massive upsurge in popularity after 2014’s Lost Forever // Lost Together, this album largely remains within the same sonic territory, but with the darkness and progressive elements pushed further than before for a quite thrilling effect. The anger and sonic battery that characterised Lost Forever // Lost Together is very much present here, yet it is channelled into a darker, heavier, much more negative space. The guitars still blend technical riffing with pummelling hardcore, the rhythm section is as tight and dynamic as ever, the use of tasteful electronics, orchestration and atmospheric guitar leads is continued.  Despite this similarity, Architects do manage to throw out some surprises, “Gone Wi...

Of all the artists to emerge from the implosion of cult hip hop collective Raider Klan, Denzel Curry is the one who’s managed to achieve the most lasting success. Releasing a number of mixtapes, 2013’s Nostalgic 64 and last year’s double EP 32 Zel//Planet Shrooms, he’s gained notoriety for his intricate lyrics peppered with nerdy references, dark, crushing beats and a fast, twisty, choppy flow reminiscent of fallen Three Six Mafia MC Lord Infamous or Outkast’s Andre 3000. Imperial is a brave step forward, out of Nostalgic 64’s darkness and the lysergic have of 32 Zell//Planet Shrooms, into a brighter, more confident space, every element accentuated to perfection.  The production on this album maintains that same punchy, trunk rattling feel, with juddering 808s and eerie, wavy melodies, yet overall with a slighter cleaner, brighter feeling. The first half of the album embodies the aggressive side to Curry’s sound, with the hyperactive “Knotty Head”, featuring fellow Carol City, ...

Hardcore has taken on a number of distinct shapes and forms throughout the years since its inception in America in the 1980s. From the traditional full speed ahead three chord thrash of bands like Minor Threat and modern outfits like Trash Talk and The Bronx to the spindly twisty mathematical screech of Converge and The Fall Of Troy to the dark emotive likes of Touché Amoré, there’s something for everyone under that umbrella. Knocked Loose are a young band from Louisville, Kentucky whose sound is an amalgamation of various styles. There is the new-old school wallop of groovy riffs and huge breakdowns fans of Expire and Trapped Under Ice are familiar with. Yet the angst and darkness of metalcore coats their sound, creating a violent, emotional and very potent blend of hardcore/metalcore. Over the course of 5 tracks, Pop Culture, their debut EP shows off Knocked Loose’s brand of sonic malevolence. More than anything, this record is built for the moshpits. Opening track “The Gosp...

I’ve put up album charts and song of the year lists on my personal fb before so here I’m gonna talk a bit more in depth about albums, songs, videos and other moments in music that stuck out to me in 2015. Here…we…go kids. There was so much good music released this year so some things may not have made it onto this here article thingy. Album of the Year: Counterparts: Tragedy Will Find Us It’s no secret that Counterparts are my favourite band of any genre and especially of melodic hardcore. While in recent years there’s been an upsurge of bands playing that ragged, emotional strain of hardcore Counterparts have always stuck out for their technicality and sheer heaviness, both in terms of music and emotional punch. While Tragedy Will Find Us does dial down the experimentalism found on their last full length, it has resulted in their tightest, most focused and most vicious set of songs to date. A perfect soundtrack for drinking cans in your room at 2 in...

This is an album that came out at the start of last year, that I found out about through randomly trawling through random heavy songs on YouTube. From hearing it first I was instantly hooked and it became one of my favourite albums of this year. Currents are a young band from Connecticut, formed in 2009. Having already released two singles in 2012 and a debut EP, Victimised in 2013, this is their debut record. While they occupy an increasingly crowded subgenre of metalcore, the progressive/technical side, they still manage to stand out as one of the finest up and coming bands in that scene. Their sound combines the technical precision of bands like Veil Of Maya with the monstrous grooves of The Acacia Strain, all draped in the filthy, sinister atmosphere of bands like Barrier. The truly brilliant part of their style though, is how they can keep all this disparate elements balanced and craft songs that will be stuck in your head for days. So have they risen to the challenge that ...

Before the untimely demise of my old laptop I had intended to review every Bring Me The Horizon album in the run up to my That's The Spirit review, as a way of charting their progression. This didn't come to pass but I've always had a lot to say on Sempiternal. a lot of conflicting emotions regarding it that I've finally put down here. It came out back in 2013 and was most definitely a seismic moment in the scene when it was released so here ye go After the sheer existential darkness and self loathing that coated There Is A Hell, it was almost inevitable that Sempiternal would be a lighter record, significantly in sound and only slightly lyrically. BMTH’s fourth record marks another stage in their evolution from hyper aggressive scrappy metalcore into a sleek modern rock band. While the aggression is not completely neutered here, there is conscious effort made to distance this record stylistically from There Is A Hell...It is a collection of very diverse tracks ...

Gonna get the ball rolling for the new year with a review of a seminal 90's record, American Football's self titled. Of all the musical genres to come out of punk, few are misunderstood more than emo. Frequently pigeonholed as the domain of whiny suburban teenagers, coated in eyeliner and appropriating the riffs and song structures of whatever old band is currently in vogue, it is still a genre capable of creating some of the most compelling music in existence, A shining example of this would be American Football, with their self-titled full length debut and sole release before breaking up. American Football occupy the gentler side of the emo spectrum, an intricate style that began in the 90’s in Midwestern America. Their sound draws less from the explosive emotional energy of Rites Of Spring or even the more melancholy Sunny Day Real Estate, instead they take a more intricate, gentle view of things. Fugazi’s offbeat riffing, the technicality of math rock and the ...

Bring Me The Horizon have come a long way from the shaky days of their first EP, released 10 years ago. With a trio of stellar records (Suicide Season, There Is A Hell…, Sempiternal), they changed the metalcore game, blending unorthodox elements like orchestras and electronics with a signature rawness and personality that was all their own.   Their fifth album, That’s The Spirit is an even further step away from that field, being closer to the 1975 than their former counterparts Architects or Parkway Drive. So does it succeed? Following in the footsteps of Sempiternal, That’s The Spirit is a rather diverse album, stepping out in a number of different directions. Opening track Doomed is a slow burner, a largely electronic number with more of the angelic clean singing frontman   Oli developed on the last album. Happy Song and Throne both dip their toes in the nu metal waters with thick drop tuned riffs and massive sing along choruses. Tracks like Follow You and Oh No howev...

Of all the melodic hardcore bands to come about in recent years, and that genre has had a massive resurgence, Counterparts have always stood out, and would be my personal favourite. Sitting in the same metalcore/melodic hardcore crossover zone as The Ghost Inside and Stick To Your Guns, Counterparts are notable for their emotionally devastating lyrics and a unique sound, technical without being obtrusive, raw but still packing a punch, harking back to bands like Misery Signals and Poison The Well. Their latest album, Tragedy Will Find Us, was released back in July on Pure Noise Records. So what to make of it? In many ways this album could have been hamstrung by expectation. Their previous album, The Difference Between Hell And Home had broke a lot of new ground for the band and stands as one of the most powerful albums to come out of hardcore. Tragedy manages to avoid this spectacularly, being this band's best album to date. All the elements that made Counterparts great have ...

An old album, but I really wanted to dissect this album, get an eye into it's soul, so here goes Building on word of mouth buzz created by a handful of Eps and some remarkably strong singles, The 1975 are the next hot indie band to come straight outta Manchester. Their sound is hard to pin down exactly, taking in a mixture of synths, guitars that are angular yet never oppressively a slightly seedy, swaggering rock and roll feel familiar to fans of Oasis or The Arctic Monkeys. Despite their name being The 1975, this band is definitely one who worship the 80’s, leaning on both the sophisticated pop rock that charted in those days but with an experimental side. The most obvious comparison point for this band is Duran Duran, both sonically and in their shared desire to mix accessible pop rock with a sophisticated, artsy touch, or even Simple Minds, the band who did The Breakfast Club’s closing song So what am I to make of this? Does it live up to the hype? Well first of all, ...