Ithaca – They Fear Us | Album Review

The breakout metalcore quintet swing for the fences with their second album.

“It’s not a job, it’s a service / and I get paid in satisfaction”, Djamila Boden-Azzouz roars on ‘In The Way’, the opening song of Ithaca’s incendiary second album They Fear Us. If there were ever any question about following their debut The Language of Injury, they’re put to rest well within the first three minutes of searing metalcore. Over the course of the album, Ithaca prove not only have they met the high mark they left on the previous album, but surpassed it by some considerable margin. 

Where Language… traded in unrestrained fury and aggression fuelled by hurt, They Fear Us is the sound of a band who have had time to consider every element of their sound and how they want to present Ithaca in 2022. For one thing, there’s a greater emphasis on clean singing; while it was present before, it’s dialled up here and brings a new dimension to their sound with its melodicism. The call and response of ‘The Future Says Thank You’ switches effortlessly between the two, while ‘Camera Eats First’ has a soaring melodic conclusion after a pummelling opener. 

That’s not to say They Fear Us has lost an ounce of heaviness from the melodicism. Instead, it’s used more sparingly to ensure maximum effect. ‘Cremation Party’ is a brief, no holds barred battering with frantic guitar lines, while ‘The Future Says Thank You’ shifts and turns through different time signatures throughout in its frank view on abusive relationships. Heavier moments get sprinkled throughout as well, as guitarists Sam Chetan-Welsh and Will Sweet deploy panic chords less frequently than before but they’re all the more impactful. The title track in particular features them accentuating off-kilter riffing as well as one of the hardest mosh calls you’ll hear this year in “bow before your blood”. 

Ithaca also demonstrate there’s far more to their arsenal than searing metalcore. They Fear Us draws on a myriad of influences, from queer art, their own identities and heritages, to classic rock, power pop and blackgaze. What’s more, they unify it all stunningly; there’s never a moment out of place and everything has been carefully considered, from the lyrics to the aesthetic of the album. It all ties together under the central concept of They Fear Us, of challenging the way things are, sexist male power structures, bigotry and the musical complacency of the scene. 

The title track, for instance, features a field recording of a Ganga Aarti ceremony recorded by Chetan-Welsh while he was in India, a ceremony that welcomes in Mother Ganga and the divine feminine. It’s nestled amongst a drum break that’s deliberately pitched up to sound more like an Indian dhol drum, creating a momentary peace before the song crashes down once more. The video for the song itself was also shot in a stately home, a symbol of colonial power repurposed by a band that has always spoken out against such abuses, making an incredibly powerful and subversive statement.

It’s impossible to discuss They Fear Us without talking about its closing third, either. ‘Fluorescent’ draws on classic rock for its guitar tone and is described by the band as one of their most personal songs on the album, while ‘You Should Have Gone Back’ builds from a clean guitar lick to desperate screams of “we’ve got a problem” that sound torn, pained almost. Finally, ‘Hold, Be Held’ closes the album in the most incredible, arresting way possible; by seemingly abandoning the metalcore of the previous half hour and delving into power pop and R&B, with soulful clean singing and a heart-wrenching delivery. 

Simply put, They Fear Us is a remarkable, landmark album. The time taken to heal from various tragedies that befell Ithaca both the band and the members personally has allowed them to craft a work of art, unified in its sonics, aesthetics and themes to disrupt and challenge a stagnant scene that doesn’t seem able to colour outside the lines, because it’s always been that way; a scene that’s allowed abusers peace all too readily, and a scene that’s been overwhelmingly white and male for too long. They Fear Us is a mission statement, a call to arms and an utterly phenomenal album.