The UK metalcore scene is currently thriving with the likes of Cauldron, Killing Me Softly and Dandelion. Durendal are a new band to join the scene of self-proclaimed, hardcore fans crafting the heaviest, most technically exciting metalcore. The Leicester-based six-piece released their debut EP Monument through the highly celebrated UK-based label The Coming Strife Records following a two-date run of debut shows.
Through diving into the song titles and theming, Durendal take an unusual approach to the typical tropes of metalcore music. Vocalist Will McLaughlan has discussed online about his fascination with all things sci-fi and fantasy and notes this is what brought the band together. So much so, their name Durendal is named after a sword that initially derives from French literature but has since been used in popular culture titles such as Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem and Halo. The third song on their 5-track EP most definitely denotes this inspiration as its title ‘Flawless Cowboy’ is a campaign Commendation in Halo: Reach and the lyrics follow a storyline as if the character is in the process of completing this achievement.
Similarly, ‘Dust and Echoes’ and ‘The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe’ are also references to Halo as they are named after pieces in the original soundtrack. The band achieve a large amount of references within their music but without it feeling overdone. For those who do understand or have experienced the games firsthand, it is an added detail and could give a better understanding of the storytelling in the lyrics. However, even listeners who have not played the games, it is not required to do so to enjoy Durendal.
Through listening to this EP, the vocal styles performed by McLaughlan and the instrumentation written by Kyle Colcough and Harris Dutton come together in harmony. McLaughlin performs early spoken parts in the intro track ‘Reveille… a Monument to All Your Sins’ and the closer ‘Dust and Echoes’. The lyrics “this is the way our world ends, not with a bang but a whimper” in the track Dust and Echoes create a mass build-up to an extremely heavy breakdown and a change in vocal style. It’s a line crafted to be played live with an audience reaching for the mic before a typical heavy dance floor erupts. In typical metalcore fashion, some clean vocals are also featured in the songs ‘Flawless Cowboy’ and ‘Dust and Echoes’ which successfully creates a contrast between the heaviness of the EP.
Norwich’s Kulk have been cultivating a diehard fan base since initially forming in 2018. They started to draw more focussed attention with the release of their uncompromising and noisy debut album Here Lies Kulk in the midst of 2020. Following up swiftly in 2021 with sophomore outing We Spare Nothing, the band’s penchant for sonic devastation only grew in intensity, tightening their core of experimental noise, devastating doom and neck-wringing sludge. After finally taking advantage of being able to play live again and unshackled from the overbearing weight of lockdowns, Kulk’s third album, It Gets Worse is somehow even more relentless than what came before.
It Gets Worse wastes little time in establishing its bleak atmosphere that permeates the album as a whole with the brief introductory track “More”, using samples that sound like a combination of screeching power tools and wailing feedback to generate an air of discomfort, leaving the listener with a touch of sampled speech and the question ‘looks familiar don’t it?’. “A Heavy Sigh” is the first track proper and swiftly unlocks the gates and unleashes a stampede of gurn-inducing, neck=pounding riffs. Vocalist/guitarist Thom Longdin channels his inner Jus Osbourne of Electric Wizard for the vocal performance, having that touch of manic rambling in between their soul crushing screams and unnerving cries, bolstered by drummer Jade Ashleigh adding haunting chants as backing vocals.
The immediately following “Out Of Reach” takes its time to start, building anxiety in anticipation for the tension to pop. When it does, you’re locked into a track built around playing with dynamics and distortion, keeping the structures deceptively simple but oh so enticing. “Mammoth” is an incredibly fitting track name, unleashing torment in its opening breaths; piercing, screeching feedback and tortured screaming assault the speakers before bursting into a high-paced barn burner. The noisy feedback is a fixture of the guitar parts here, playing off the vocals in the mix; vocals that become increasingly unhinged and barely comprehendible, battered and fried with coatings of distortion. There is a pseudo sludge/noise breakdown around the halfway point whiplashing back and forth between chest pounding chords and wailing feedback.
Pop punk can be a bit of a dirty word. Let’s face it, there’s only so many ways you can slate your home town and write misogynistic verses about that girl who wouldn’t talk to you because you wouldn’t go near a can of deodorant. However, when done right and approached with a mature mindset, the results can be fantastic. One Step Closer, despite what their Linkin Park echoing name may suggest, are not a nu-metal band. They are instead, a hybrid (Theory) of anthemic, emotive hardcore and skate-punk. Think early Tony Hawk soundtracks with a modern punch, made to be played while the sun reaches its zenith and you wipe gravel from your skinned knees. This new effort leans heavily into that side of things, with more emotionally charged sections, soaring choruses and most importantly, hooks big enough to make Hellraiser jealous.
It would always be a risk to move from heavier pastures to pursue a sound more accessible, but One Step Closer have clearly learned from bands like Koyo, who with their 2023 debut Would You Miss It? showed that you can be a mature, feet-on-the-ground pop punk band and still retain your hardcore roots. Even on OSC‘s last release, there were massive choruses mixed in and a clear appreciation for the more melodic aspects of the hardcore sound. However, on All You Embrace, there’s signs the band has been listening and appreciating the efforts of bands like Touche Amore and to great effect.
Opener ‘Colour You’ starts things off with a slow burning anthem that seems destined to soundtrack days and nights of stolen glances, dubiously acquired alcohol (not for this straight edge bunch though) and the fleeting feeling that it’ll all be over far too soon. The wonderful lyrics and delivery balance hope, longing and despair. ‘Leap Years’ kicks the record into full gear, a song that echoes the classic Rise Against sound of scream into the sky skate punk. There’s a few songs on here that you could see being over X-Games compilations over the years. It wouldn’t be a massive stretch to say that vocalist Ryan Savitski has more than a touch of Tim McIlrath about his delivery.
Formed over the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Wales based five piece De’Lour have been making waves with their live shows supporting bands like The Blackout and Dream State for the last few years with a handful of singles behind them. Now, on their new EP The Ghost You Left Behind, they’re ready to flex their Deftones tinged metalcore muscles.
Opening track ‘You Want’ makes a powerful statement of intent with chugging guitars backing powerful, soaring vocals from frontman Aaron Roberts. From the beginning of the album is obvious that although De’Lour’s influences, ranging from Trivium and The Dillinger Escape Plan to even Sempiternal era Bring Me The Horizon, are worn on the band’s sleeve, it’s clear that elements of each of their inspirations have been carefully chosen to fit their style, with an understatedly complex rhythm section backing punchy guitar riffs and a commanding vocal performance. ‘You Want’ does an admirable job of introducing the band’s full range with a sing-along chorus and impressive musicianship straight off the bat.
Throughout The Ghost You Left Behind De’Lour punch well above their weight in terms of production and performance. Tracks like ‘Crown’ and ‘Sun Crusher’ stand out as particularly well crafted with each instrumental part carving out their own spot in the mix, creating a full sound with plenty of clarity and plenty of room for the dominating vocals. The crisp, layered production is on par with that of many far bigger acts, further pointing towards De’Lour’s fantastic attention to detail.
Shlug have been a promising band since their inception in late 2019 and have held the title of most energetic live band with a searing hatred on your eardrums. Having only released a handful of songs, they’ve now dropped their debut EP, Split The Grin. According to guitarist/vocalist Ellis Acton-Dyer, Split The Grin is ‘an understanding that when you’re slogging through the grey, things will eventually be alright’. ‘Forever Weeps Baby Boy Blue’ is the first foray into this mindset that Shlug have laid out for you. It’s noise-rock to the highest, and loudest, degree.
The twisted distorted guitar intertwined with Francis James’ frantic drumming is a chaotic start to the EP and is carried to the end of the bombardment. Being born coming out of a panic attack on his kitchen floor, Acton-Dyer‘s vocals are a mixture of the aggression Shlug are born from, but with a twinge of emotional despair. Even the slower quieter passage mid-way through you can hear the vocals are emotionally charged. The EP only reaches just under 13 minutes and holds just four songs, but between the first and last note Shlug create an uneasy atmosphere which on times does make for an uncomfortable listen as they transcend their noise-rock audience by adding layers of other genres to create a disturbing melody that only they can make sense out of, which may dissuade people from getting into the EP properly. However, the more you play Split The Grin, the more you ‘get it’ and the warped world of Shlug becomes clearer and less murky, on the eyes that is. On your ears it’s still a gloom laden work of art.
Gatecreeper are back and this time they’re riding in on a flaming horse, clad in chain mail, wielding a swirling morning star (and of course a whole heap of HM2). The new record Dark Superstition masterfully takes bits and bobs from all over the metal landscape and blends them into what can only be described as a blackened, HM2-ridden heavy metal monster. Like their forefathers in Entombed when they dropped Wolverine Blues the rock ‘n’ roll influence is writ large over this new offering, and while some might miss the overt blasting heaviness of the previous releases, it’s clear that Gatecreeper have taken a big step forward with their songwriting and arrangement chops.
Gone is much of the pounding double kick, whilst the hardcore influence is still there, it takes a backseat to the atmospheric melancholy that permeates the whole album. Dark Superstition is a new version of Gatecreeper, a more complete version, with tighter songs, more clear goals and a whole heaping chunk of studded leather influenced riffs. This is where you’ll find tracks to not only headbang to, but also to sing along to, something that is apparent from the get-go with the opener “Dead Star,” which is replete with memorable riffs, and a chorus that has to be destined to be shouted back at vocalist Chase H. Mason from a crowd in rapture.
