They’re the Lost Boys of heavy music, standing with their back to the alley as the cigarette smoke drifts upwards from their lips and the streetlight glints off their aviators. They are cool incarnate. Their debut album Mana (released under the previous moniker of Idle Hands) was about a massive a statement as one band can make. Every single track on that album pulsed with the dark danger of gothic nightlife, with melodies stickier than rice at a vampire sushi bar. Front man and guitarist Gabriel Franco immediately made a name for himself with his crooning baritone and his sharp yarls of anger, which punctuated nearly every song. The metal world has been waiting to hear their next move, and now on Roadrunner Records, the band’s second album Strength aims to hit listeners in their dark hearts once again.
And for the most part, it succeeds nearly as well as Mana. But the double edged sword of Unto Others is that they’re a bit like eating a favorite meal every day of the week. The ingredients that make up the delicious dish are easily identifiable and always tasty, but the same meal can get a start to get a bit old if it’s not spiced up a bit, and though each and every song on Strength is really solid, there are moments where things get a bit stale after two records of a very signature sound. But the band gets off to a wicked start. “Heroin” is fast, dark, gritty, grungy and a heart pumper of a track featuring all the best of Franco’s vocal angst. Then begins the one-two punch of one of the strongest moments on the record. ‘Downtown’ has one of the best hooks on the record, and the guitars smolder like a smoky rock club. This is classic Unto Others, and the melody is as sharp as anything they’ve done. Ditto goes for ‘When Will God’s Work Be Done’, with its whip crack snare drum and thundering, rumbling bass. There’s no better words to describe this song than damn cool. Angry and cavernous, this track is example number one for why producer Arthur Rizk should be very future household name in metal production. Absolutely standout.
Album opener ‘Letters To A Dead Friend’ immediately hits hard with frontman Landon Tewers’ smooth, clean vocals soaring over the atmospheric track. A very brooding song, lyrics such as “I don’t wanna be alive” and “It should be me in the ground a thousand fucking times” will stay with you for the rest of your journey throughout the ten-track record.
Similarly, he describes the following song ‘Fall Again’ to be the darkest of all, speaking straight to a friend dealing with drug abuse. Here, one is basically part of an intimate conversation between the two. It feels wrong; as though you’re sat with an ear to the wall trying to grasp onto the out of context details of this intervention. Very few lyricists have the poignancy and honesty that Tewers does, and that’s what Swan Song should be remembered for.
With such a unique and powerful essence radiating out of every track, that a nearly decade long journey to the release of the long awaited debut album – Sometimes You’re Gonna Feel Like a Loser But That’s Alright by the Gothenburg native Emo Rockers Dream Drop is finally hitting the airwaves.
Tapping into the complex, torturous and sobering reality of mental and emotional crisis immersion, Dream Drop’s latest addition to their discography can be perceived by listeners as a darkwave and horrorcore melting pot, that is continuously swirling around the bands already established roots within post-hardcore and emo circles. An interesting phenomenon taking reign over the albums dark aesthetics and overall lyrical themes is the possible lingering parallel to the known six stages of grief, including Numbness/Denial, Anxiety/Panic, Bargaining/Control, Frustration/Despair as well an understanding of Acceptance that seems to fall short of true peace of mind that we’re assuming will eventually be explored in the next “phase” of the bands evolutionary soundscape.
This, the last record in their four “seasons” cycle which began with The Conscious Seed of Light in 2013, and is following up the incredibly acclaimed and seminal Where Owls Know My Name in 2018. Rivers Of Nihil have reached the winter phase of life, where the harsh, and cruel realities of life all manifest themselves before us and we must decide if this, the coldest season of life, will break us. Is this all there is? What do we do in a life where we feel exploited, panicked, and overworked? Will we lose ourselves in this life; be buried by it? Or are these trials we all must face and emerge from stronger and ready to face the joy of mental, spiritual, and physical rebirth? Is life meant to be full of horrible pain and blissful peace all at once? These are all very deep questions that the band puts forth on this complex, often confounding record, but one that yields huge musical and lyrical dividends for those who stick with it and dive into the waters within.
Right from the first minute, any expectation for the band to rest on their laurels and slightly modify the sound of Owls is thrown right out the window. The Work is so different in so many ways. For one, it’s a much more melodic record, with most songs featuring clean vocals from drummer Jared Klein, who only dabbled on Owls. This record is also a much more spacious record, and the songs breathe and disperse like vapor compared to the rigid and direct strength of their previous record. What The Work manages to do so well is balance moments of utmost stress, chaos, and darkness with moments of real tranquility and gentleness. This is less about riffs, and more about feeling, and the record often pulls from the instrumentation often found in the work of prog rock greats Porcupine Tree and its leader Steven Wilson.
Formed in 2018, by pinching guitarist and vocalist Cami right off remote farmlands of Argentina, Beach Riot have been on a steady upward streak. Their debut tracks were picked up by many stations and shows, including Daniel P. Carter’s BBC Rock Show and Alex Baker’s Kerrang Fresh Blood to name a couple. Just before the pandemic hit, the guys have signed up to Alcopop! Records and since life as we know it stopped for a few weeks and then months, the quartet got busy working to complete their debut Sub Atomic Party Cool. Originally completed what feels like eons back in 2020, the band had the time to perfect each track and finesse the sound; and it really shows. Grungy, fuzzy, and fun, this album introduces the band in full measure and shows how much potential these guys have.
‘B.A.D.’ kicks off the album with killer riffs and livewire energy, a perfect intro and the indication of the album to follow. ‘Wrong Impression’ continues with distorted guitars and a catchy chorus making it’s impossible to sit still and not to jam along. ‘Good to Know’ comes in with slightly lighter and bouncier guitars, and brings in a nostalgic note as it reminisces on the past relationship. ‘Modern Dinosaur’ then comes in with a more playful and cynical outlook, and develops into a loud and more intense piece as guitars and drums reach full potential. One of the main highlights of the record ‘Wraith’ brings in some great storytelling and despite its bleak content, it’s a real banger with a killer chorus and amazing vocals from both Rory and Cami. Incredibly catchy and energetic, it’s a real earworm to say the least.
Cognizance are a British-Austrian tech-death five piece. Formed in 2012 they released their debut, Malignant Domion, in 2019. That record clearly laid out the musical underpinnings of the band, namely fast-paced and intricate death metal with lashings of thrash and some choice usage of melodic lead guitar passages, but was perhaps somewhat overreliant on an ensemble cast of guest vocalists. On their second album however, Cognizance have put out a more consistent and more sonically varied offering which, at a lean 33 minutes in length, engages and excites throughout.
Opening track ‘Hymns’, a breakneck onslaught of riffs and monstrous growls clocking in at scarcely over two minutes, gives the listener a fair taste of what to expect. The rhythm section, so vital in any form of extreme metal, prove themselves to be on top form from the very first second. Chris Binns and David Diepold (bass and drums respectively) hold down the low end fantastically and the duo serve as the perfect anchor for the duration of the album, always ferocious but always perfectly locked in.
