REVIEWS
There’s plenty of music released every single month, and with each Monthly Music Roundup article, we share some quick reviews of several releases from throughout the month that we personally enjoyed and want to cover. ALBUMS
As Within, So Without “Into Oblivion” As Within, So Without are a band I’ve heard quite a bit about recently and have released their debut record, titled “Into Oblivion.” The band have a lot of post-hardcore and metalcore influences in their sound, portrayed throughout this record. The more aggressive side of that sound is shown through a couple of the tracks on here, such as “Sleepy Hollow,” the energetic “Hate Me,” and “Anchor,” which has one of the best breakdowns on the release. They mix those with more melodic moments on tracks like the lead single and opener “Departure,” “What You Said” and “A Disease Called Man” (both of which have a great mix of clean and unclean vocals), and “Alone,” one of the most aggressive but also one of the catchiest tracks on this album. The two remaining tracks on the album, however, are easily some of the major standouts, with “The Torch” being much softer at first and then gradually building up to become a hard hitting interlude later on, and “What’s Left Of Me” being one of the most melodic tracks on the record, seemingly more influenced from rock rather than metalcore or heavier subgenres under the rock umbrella. The debut from As Within, So Without is a pretty good record with some interesting moments found throughout it. Marianas Trench “Phantoms” I loved the lead single from Marianas Trench’s latest record, “Phantoms,” and felt the same way about the record as a whole as well. There are plenty of upbeat tracks to be found on this record, from the insanely catchy “Wish You Were Here” and lead single “I Knew You When” to the well-written “Your Ghost” and “Echoes Of You” and ambient, yet powerful “Only The Lonely Survive.” A couple others contrast quite a bit, like the ballads “The Death Of Me” and “Glimmer,” both of which have memorable choruses, and “Don’t Miss Me?,” one that really allows the vocals to shine. The opening and closing tracks on the record, however, are some more of the biggest highlights. Short, but sweet introductory track “Eleonora” is led by acapella vocals that put on a pretty memorable performance with impressive harmonies, and six-minute closer “The Killing Kind” brings forth captivating instrumentals and charismatic vocals to make such an interesting track that finishes the album out so well. While this album is something a little bit different from Marianas Trench, it’s still a solid album from them regardless. Pickwick Commons “Weak Bones” Pickwick Commons have released their debut full-length, titled “Weak Bones.” The band mixes a lot of elements from heavier music, but quite a lot of songs on this record definitely lean more towards the hardcore genre, with a few examples being the opener “Dishonored,” the energetic single “Leech” and the interlude “Guilt.” Many of the remaining tracks also have those influences, but add in a few things to make themselves stand out, with “Seasons” and “Wounded” bringing some surprising tempo changes, “Suffer” and “Hypocrite” providing some great instrumentals (particularly the guitar and bass), and “Ghosts” adding some clean vocals into the mix. The band does blend these influences of hardcore music with some melodic hardcore elements in a couple of the other tracks on the record, both of which really show more sides of their sound. “Conjuncture” has some great dynamics in the instrumentals, and the final track “Disgraced” incorporates both heavier and more melodic instrumentation that accompanies the more aggressive vocals. With their debut LP, Pickwick Commons have created an intriguing release that will please many fans of the genre and is definitely worth a listen if you’re a hardcore fan as well. Surroundings “Glass Heart” I discovered Surroundings awhile back through one of the singles released off their new album, “Glass Heart.” Much like the last release I mentioned, “Glass Heart” shows Surroundings combining various influences from metalcore and other subgenres in heavy music. The album does have a handful of more metalcore-leaning tracks, such as the opener “Clarity, Decay,” the closer and title track “Glass Heart,” and the much more aggressive “Slaves” and “End As Ashes,” two of the heaviest tracks on the record. Despite that aggression, the band mixes in some more melodic elements in songs such as “Paper Cranes,” which has one of the catchiest choruses, the energetic “The Rivers Edge,” and impressive single “Chronesthesia,” which is a bit more ambient at first until the harder instrumentals drive the interesting rhythm that makes the song stand out. Speaking of which, the band does quite a bit of experimentation on the record, incorporating more melodic hardcore influences in “Jane” and “Burnt Pages,” adding some spoken word into the bridge of “March,” and combining every element that makes up this record as a whole in the track “Elizabeth.” I love how Surroundings mix so many elements and influences on “Glass Heart,” and the experimentation and variation found throughout the record makes it an interesting album. EPs Heavensake “Post-Chroma” I reviewed Heavensake’s previous EP and after hearing good things about their sophomore effort, I decided to check it out myself. “Aftercolour” kicks things off strong with a hard hitting intro, while the vocals show a lot of emotion during the verses, and the melodies they deliver only get better during the chorus. Single “Bleach” has great dynamics with a perfect balance of softer sections and more aggressive and raw ones, such as the chorus. Second single “Did I Leave Everyone, Or Did Everyone Leave Me?” and closer “If You’re A God, Then I’m An Athiest” both have some darker composition and bring plenty of energy all throughout, and “L’appel Du Vide” shows off all the various influences and elements that this EP has to offer. “Post-Chroma” shows Heavensake trying out some new things and experimenting with their sound quite a bit, and it worked out so well for them. No Coast “Never Stop Starting” One of my more recent music discoveries is a band called No Coast, who recently released their debut EP, titled “Never Stop Starting.” Opening the EP is “Mars,” one with darker composition and catchy melodies that only get better as the song goes on. Other single “Ivory” is a lot more pop influenced, especially as far as the instrumentals go, but the vocals and the talent this vocalist has all show off a lot more on this one compared to the opener. Middle track “Drowning” is pretty similar to the opener - the riffs during the chorus are just as catchy as the melodies throughout the entire song, and this track might be the most memorable one on the EP. “Car Headlights is much softer and very atmospheric in a way that’s different to the rest of the release, and the acoustically driven close “Keep Me Running” is a very memorable track and easily a favorite of mine. No Coast has a pretty interesting sound and not only does their EP show that, but it also shows that they have a lot of potential. Next Year’s End “How You Talk” Next Year’s End have released their highly anticipated new EP, “How You Talk.” The EP begins with the laid-back and atmospheric introductory track, and the tracks that follow still contain that ambience. “Stuck In Love” is catchy in every possible way from start to finish, “Gracetalk” and “Younger” have a perfect blend of pop and rock leaning instrumentals, “Restless” and “I Don’t Mind” bring the energy right back, and closing track “Wishful Thinking” combines all the elements heard throughout the entire EP. With “How You Talk,” Next Year’s End have created an EP that mixes some indie rock, pop and alternative influences with some elements from their older and more rock/pop punk leaning material, showing a whole new side to their sound.
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