It’s been almost five full years since we last saw a full length release from these samurai spirited street soldiers, but it’s safe to say they’ve not lost their fire in the time they’ve been away. In fact it seems they’ve gone all in on making new album Showdown their hardest, most sonically charged collection of songs to date, tapping back into the band’s hardcore roots while still retaining some of the nu-metal identity they explored on 2018 release The Legacy Of Shi. The band once again bring Japanese anime inspired lyrics and their own fictional universe into the frame, with vocalist Vithia displaying a honed improvement on his gutturals, used within the music to represent the demon spirit that possesses and battles the band in their own lore.
In keeping with the band’s penchant for high energy, hyped up music, intro track ‘The Anthem’ wails in with gang vocal chants of “NORTHSTAR, NORTHSTAR”, ending with the demon spirit growling: “is fucking back”. These style of demonic vocals remain present throughout the record, almost as if this spirit is always lurking, haunting the tracks themselves, adding a new level of depth to what would otherwise be a fairly straightforward listening experience. Slamming riffs, big drum beats, and stylishly hip-hop infused vocals run throughout the record, from the previously released title track all the way to closing track ‘Rise’. It may sound fairly trivial when written down, but it’s fair to say there’s not a single band out there quite like Rise Of The Northstar.
For those who aren’t aware of the UK’s next big act in the world of deathcore, this is the chance to hop on and join the ride that is Veiled, with their first EP release guaranteed to pique interest. Filled with symphonic and blackened elements that seem to blend very well with a massively brutal deathcore influence, Veiled wont be pulling any punches when it comes to EP The Black Rite. With five tracks and roughly 18 minutes of run time, this is not a long release by any means but don’t let that take away from the sheer talent and tenacity that doesn’t go unnoticed with each and every track.
Starting out the record is ‘Discovering [I]’, fading in with a piano that is almost typical of a Lorna Shore or Chelsea Grin track, the song immediately pummels the listener with a sudden rush of blasting beats and ripping guitars. As the song continues we get a good taste of the vocal style these guys are bringing to the table as the chorus enters the room displaying some beautiful clean singing to compliment such brutality that was playing just before.
It’s a goth-rock band! It’s a post-punk noir-pop outfit! It’s The Nightmares! Okay, so The Nightmares sound like Creeper and The Cure had a baby who wasn’t a theatre kid like their parents. Voilà. Now, with the necessary comparisons out the way, does their debut album Séance withstand scrutiny on its own merits (or lack thereof) amidst a flood of new music? In short, yes.
During the COVID pandemic, The Nightmares experimented with seances. As bassist Benjamin T. Mainwaring stated,, the music they created was born out of their shared love of the macabre and wanting to express darker thoughts and deeper emotions. Their lyrical themes of death, love, and mourning, thus, take center stage, surrounded by tasteful instruments and vocals.
Eleanor Coburn’s synths and keys provide the majority of the atmosphere. Her synths are neither overpowering nor boring, walking the fine line between the common errors of synth-driven rock bands. Not content with hiding behind the keyboards, Coburn provides backup vocals, but she shines best next to Adam Parslow under the spotlight on tracks like “From Above,” “Cursed,” and “Let The Light In.” If Liz Fraser wore black, this is what she’d sound like.
From the very get go, the California quintet seemed to be a band that bristled with vivid promise. Their local Santa Cruz scene heralded their arrival, exclaiming them to be the promised ones to alleviate hardcore from its negative associations. Lofty proclamations indeed, but lo and behold, such promise manifested itself with their 2021 debut album How Flowers Grow, a record that was bound by the ironclad ideology of hardcore, yet utterly divorced from the toxicity, masculinity and callousness sometimes associated with the genre. Truly, it was a record that pushed the boundaries of the modern hardcore sound, with the album marrying together both catchiness and punishment in a way that was inclusive, welcoming and vibrant. Now, Scowl are once again pushing the boundaries with their latest EP, a body of work that sounds like The Breeders doing a flip off the merch table straight into Drain’s soon to be bloodied face.
Across the five tracks and 10 minutes that form the EP, Scowl display more dynamism and inspiration than most hardcore bands will do in their entire careers. In fact, Scowl achieve this feat in less than two minutes with the opener alone, ‘Shot Down’. Opening with the kind of classic aggression one would associate with the genre, the track violently pendulums between urbanite hardcore and the kind of alt-rock comparable with the likes of the aforementioned Breeders and even current Aussie sensations Amyl And The Sniffers. It’s a contrast that hosts no middle ground, and the change is one of sudden violence, yet it works. As the proceeding title track bares further credence to, Scowl’s sound on this record is one of pure playfulness, rhythm and dynamism. In fact, with the title track baring thoughts of grunge classics à la Hole and L7, to call this a hardcore track would be utterly fallacious if it didn’t bare such zeal and passion.
Creating an album with an overarching narrative and recurring characters and themes is a risky proposition. Thankfully, we’re being delivered The Gleaning by masters of their craft, and this is a record that not only works consumed whole but has some standout tracks that stand up on their own feet outside of the wider context.
The first few tracks establish a vicious, relentless pace that builds in intensity and weight. With some uniquely unsettling layered vocals accompanying their signature throat-tearing bellows, the album is front loaded with a barrage of high-octane riffing. When we finally break into the drone-soaked doom riffs of ‘Rat King’ it’s a catharsis that is totally worth the pummelling we’ve endured thus far. The track descends into a swirling void of despair, tortured vocals barking over the collapse of the song.
Title track ‘The Gleaners’ is where the album really comes into its own. When the band slow down and embrace the doomier aspects of their sound, there’s a glimpse of beauty to temper the relentless nature of the other songs. Opening with a solemn, contemplative guitar straight out of the post-metal playbook accompanied by a brief sample, there’s a restraint on display that only serves to make the inevitable drop more impactful. The riffs come and go like a slowly encroaching tide, with each new wave hitting harder and being carried by the best vocal work on the album. The decision to approach the album with an overall narrative pays off here, with this majestic 8 minute track building to an immensely satisfying climax.
About three years removed from 2020’s critically praised and celebrated technicolor, Covet decided to take some risks and challenge themselves to explore new ideas on catharsis. With incredibly talented new bassist and drummer, Brandon Dove and Jessica Burdeux respectively, they continue to delve into a multitude of different gear, soundscapes, melodies and rhythms.
This is Covet’s shortest project to date at around twenty-eight minutes, it is particularly noticeable as their previous release clocked in closer to the fifty-minute mark. catharsis is separated into eight tracks that flow into one another seamlessly, leaning into the ideology of using music as an art form of escapism. Conceptually, Young has stated that, in a way, she’s attempting to establish a journey through different worlds and characters using melodies, tones and textures, with the songs almost acting as their own themes or motifs.
The attempt to diversify their sound somewhat is immediately noticeable on album opener ‘coronal’, a slower paced, more deliberate track. With layered and vocoder processed vocals feeling like they’re being sung in slow motion, sitting atop slightly fuzzed, smooth and dreamy lead guitar melodies, fluid bass lines and accented precision drumming. ‘coronal’ is saturated in shoegaze vibes, setting the stage for something a little different for Covet’s third time around.
That isn’t to say it is a night and day difference between catharsis and prior releases; lead single ‘firebird’ feels more akin to Covet’s traditional sound as Young demonstrates her virtuoso status with some phenomenal guitar work, whether in the chord structures, melodies or solos featured throughout. The bass acts as an incredibly strong lock between harmonising or directly following the guitar melodies and keeping a steady rhythmic bond with the drums bouncy, joyous math rock rhythms with just a dusting of swing to them.
