From the first pounding riffs of ‘Tunnel Vision Alibi’ to the ethereal fade-out at the end of ‘Under The Floor’, Divine Inner Tension is a perfect encapsulation of Hail The Sun’s explorative, heavy and impressively technical yet uniquely memorable sound. Gaining some considerable praise for their previous five albums and touring alongside genre heavyweights Dance Gavin Dance and Circa Survive, Hail the Sun are far from new to the scene but have, up to this point, remained underground, Divine Inner Tension is proof that Hail The Sun deserve their time in the spotlight.
Intro track ‘Tunnel Vision Alibi’ sets the album off with a bang featuring some of Hail The Sun’s heaviest riffs and catchiest hooks to date. The fast-paced, galloping guitar riff gives way to a sing-along chorus providing an appropriately diverse and memorable beginning to an album that winds between complex post-hardcore noise and pop influenced melody. Singer/drummer Donovan Melero deserves significant praise for his work on this track, with both intricate percussion and effortlessly powerful vocals carrying the song Melero proves himself as a confident and capable frontman.
Divine Inner Tension succeeds in part thanks to the tight, clear production of Kris Crummett, known for his work with bands like Dance Gavin Dance, Issues and Crown The Empire. Even when the band are at their most dynamic on songs like ‘Mind Rider’, with huge The Mars Volta style prog influence, or ‘The Story Writes Itself’, a more emo inspired track with a My Chemical Romance inspired chorus, each instrument has its precise place in the mix, staying articulate and punchy through the album’s heaviest moments while emphasising the more delicate passages with tasteful restraint.
Urne are possibly one of the kept secrets in the UK metal scene. Comprised of former members of Hang The Bastard and Anterior the London based trio have unleashed their second full length, A Feast On Sorrow.
Along with being a genre-twisting machine – with their craft incorporating textures and techniques from all ends of the metal spectrum – Urne are also incredibly talented musicians. A Feast On Sorrow encapsulates it perfectly. From the atmospheric opening on ‘The Flood Came Rushing In’, Joe Nally’s robust vocals and Angus Neyra’s furious fretwork work in tandem. James Cook’s drumming ability really punches through as his funky fills and relentless drumming never ceases from start to finish. The genre twisitng Urne are known for are is prominent as ever on this album also. The fusion of sludge & thrash, along with everything else they throw at you during the 50-minute runtime, works wonderfully.
Nally’s vocals just tie the entire album together with his gritty punk-like chords bringing to life the album’s crushing yet awe-inspiring atmosphere that the album cover presents. It’s grey cover and grey insides are only shadowed by the lyrical content. The reality of losing someone in your life isn’t a subject many take upon, but Urne have transferred their feelings of dread, anger and confusion into an epic musical masterpiece that very few have even managed to come close to creating. According to Nally, ‘There aren’t many fun moments’ within the album. While the lyrics are heartfelt and meaningful, you must admit, the instrumental side of the album is phenomenal and on times you find yourself lost in the album.
Depending on whom you ask, Din Of Celestial Birds are either one of UK post-rock’s most under-sung gems or one of its most promising collectivities. Arguably, they could be accurately dubbed as both. Off the back of the small smattering of songs found found within their debut 2019 EP – suitably titled EP 1 – the Leeds instrumental quintet have garnered a devoted following for themselves and have performed alongside the likes of Telepathy, Hidden Mothers and even Canada’s Respire. Granted, to call an act under-sung when they only have approximately thirty-or-so minutes of material to their name may be somewhat hyperbolic, but given the brilliance of the EP in question, such claims are justifiably valid. Now, with EP 1 seeing the band undertaking a slow unfolding of wings, the band’s debut LP The Night Is For Dreamers is set to witness Din Of Celestial Birds leave their humble nest.
A record of pure human emotion, The Night Is For Dreamers is quite frankly a stunning body of work that directly dispels the notion that post-rock is a genre reserved for awkward and po-faced stoicism. By harnessing an array of textures – from synthetic keys to pummelling percussion – the band have woven a tapestry of noise as rich, vivid violent as life itself. Opener ‘Utopia’ immediately bears witness to this. Harkening thoughts of the quiet splendours of PG. Lost, the immaculate contemplation of BRUIT ≤ and the sugary adolescent giddiness of Vasa, the ceaselessly bounding track is a feverish and fluid demonstration of intent, its ironised fretwork contrasting wonderfully its inherent sense of childlike wonder, joy and bounding energy. In fact, the track highlights the very crux of this record – the unquantifiable nature of the human condition.
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam have been lurking in the underground of the UK’s DIY rock scene for a decade at this point, their self-titled debut releasing near as damn it ten years before their seventh full length Mortuary Pantomime. Over this time the Brummie six-piece’s sound has only become more unique, incorporating influences as varied as The Smiths, Weezer, Titus Andronicus and The Stooges, their weird-on-purpose college rock wavering between off-the-wall experimentation and catchy, sing-along hooks.
The album’s opener Apocalypse is a powerful statement of intent with threads that reverberate throughout Mortuary Pantomime. A lone, distorted guitar riff and crooning vocals from frontman Andy Bullock are quickly joined by disjoined rock chaos with disorientating, fuzz fuelled guitars, retro-inspired keys and multiple drummers creating an incredibly dense wall of sound. There’s a focused lawlessness to Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam’s sound, instruments fly in and out of rhythm and harmony with each other like they’re all playing on different planes of existence until the brilliant, climactic moments where they join in unison, new tempos, keys and time signatures make brief guest appearances as the band meander through charmingly odd tracks full of unique yet personal material.
Many deathcore artists, the world over, have spent their careers making extreme music for the masses, with each new offering lower and slower and heavier than the last. Nowadays though, danger seems to be somewhat of a lost art. Yet with this album, Pittsburgh genre-benders Signs of the Swarm demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to make dangerous sounding music.
Tech metal, deathcore, death metal, prog death metal – you name it, the band have mastered it. Drummer and main songwriter Bobby Crow and the guys have been pushing the envelope for years now, and never has that talent and understanding been so apparent as with Amongst the Low & Empty. Glitched electronics, sudden swells and a menacing backdrop of ambience that could double as a horror movie soundtrack: Signs of the Swarm take you through a horrifying journey through a nightmarish soundscape – one that many deathcore fans craving a beating will really enjoy.
Known for their insanely high energy and aggressive sound, Dead Heat have managed to take influence from a plethora of genres including thrash, hardcore, punk, and metal. With that being said, the California foursome have made quite the name for themselves in the last couple years. Coming in with some of the best thrash/hardcore crossover music since the release of Power Trip‘s Nightmare Logic, which is quite the feat to say the least. Endless Torment contains five ferocious tracks all recorded by Armand John Anthony (Captain Quarters Studio) whilst being mixed and mastered by the talented Arthur Rizk, who has worked with the likes of Kreator, Power Trip, and Municipal Waste respectively. Not only is this the groups best music to date but it is also arguably the most important release of their careers. Dropping as a joint-partnership between Tankcrimes and the ever popular Triple B Records, listeners are going to be silly to sleep on this one.
