Sometimes, the world seems to be against you as a band, and it can seem that the stars just won’t align for you to succeed. For British metalcore veterans Heart Of A Coward, they not only lost their powerhouse vocalist and arguably biggest asset in Jamie Graham, but just as they were beginning to get a little bit of steam back, 2020 happened. With reviews of their first record with new vocalist Kaan Tasan, ‘The Disconnect’ being mixed, the future seemed uncertain for the group. However, with Tasan being allowed more time to bed in with the group, could the band recapture what made them so exciting in the first place on new record, This Place Brings Only Death?
Heart Of A Coward have always existed at the techier, more angular end of the ‘core spectrum, though never fully straying into djent waters. Mixing their chops with malicious bite made them stand out in the scene, and undoubtedly former vocalist Jamie Graham was a huge part of that. His cavernous roar, combined with his menacing presence and enunciation gave the band a leg up on their scene brethren. Possessing the riffs, the crunch and the choruses, they were beloved. Their earlier work also featured some fantastic production too, an area The Disconnect was slightly lacking in. Tasan is a good vocalist, that much isn’t in any doubt. It’s just that anyone following Jamie was going to struggle if they weren’t a perfect fit or as strong a presence.
Sonically, this record stacks up well against The Disconnect. It’s a bit step up from its predecessor; the band’s sound benefits from a beefy, slightly ramshackle production – hard balance to strike, but one they manage – and Tasan sounds a lot more confident in his delivery. It’s just that his delivery isn’t particularly unique or noteworthy. The main issue with this record is the lack of memorable tracks. Across the 10 songs, there’s not many hooks, choruses or even movements that stick in your brain. Tracks tend to act like similar shades of playdough pushed through a fun factory into a barely discernable cylinder of riffs and breakdowns, and the singles released prior to the album did very little to whet the appetite. ‘Devour Me’ has the biggest hope of being the album’s lasting legacy track, with its chorus and added electronic elements proving to be one of the highlights.
“Kaan sounds a lot more confident in his delivery. It's just that his delivery isn't particularly unique or noteworthy.”
Unfortunately, it takes until the penultimate track for the band to sound like their old selves. Filled with bounce and the biggest chorus of the record, it makes you wonder why there isn’t more of it in the record. Even when the band try to go more progressive, or melodic, it rarely manages to elicit anything more than an apathetic shrug and a desire to put Severance on instead. There’s clearly times, in songs like ‘Hex’, where the juddering electronics and seeming call to arms wants to ape Northlane, but it ends up being flatter than Wile E Coyote running into a fake wall he painted himself.
If this came out a few years ago, it would probably be viewed more favourably. However, even a genre as limited as modern metalcore has evolved to produce bands so much more exciting than HOAC, particularly with a technical minded approach and a sort of soft sci-fi/dystopian lyrical content. Of the three metalcore formulas popular at the moment, those being mainstream-tickling electronic influenced, throwback noughties sounds and brutally heavy, This Place Brings Only Death exists in none of them. This isn’t a bad thing, but the sonic territories where it does plant it’s flag are nigh on lifeless.
It is a shame, because the band have shown in the past it is possible to be heavy and still create brilliant hooks and choruses. For the band to release this while their former frontman is releasing brutal, hook-laden deathcore with his new project Viscera tells its own story. There’s nothing violently wrong or actually bad with the album in any sense. It’s just that it feels a little lacking in any grand ideas at times. It doesn’t even feel like Heart Of A Coward any more, and to some extent, they’re really not. The core band might be there but it seems like Jamie really was, if you’ll pardon the pun, the heart of the band. As it turns out, this place brings only boredom.