Grader return this month with the much anticipated follow-up EP to
2012's Amnesty 7" - Underheaven.
Recently signed to Ghost Music to release the record, the Aberdonian hardcore
band recorded the EP with producer Nick Scholey, and the outcome is their most
emotional and heavy output to date.
Underheaven opens with The
Truth. This track starts with a somewhat harrowing sample of a Charles
Manson speech, before Grader take over and a massive kick powers its way
through the song, carrying with it vocalist Liam's trademark screams and huge
guitars. I love a well chosen soundbite, and I have to say, as an opener, their
choice blows me away.
After the heavy intro track, one thing is instantly noticeable about
this new EP. Underheaven seems to have a much slower take on hardcore, which suits the vocals and lyrics brilliantly. It's not just anger, like there is with a lot of
punk. There's more emotion here than any of their, or their peers', recordings.
And Liam's vocals, instead of just a normal hardcore shout, are an almost rough
singing, or a melodic scream. It's hard to describe. But it conveys pain in a
way I've never heard in hardcore music.
The title track is as close to a ballad as Grader can get, and it's
a fantastic track. It's slow, and at times the vocals aren't rough at all, but again are just pained. With a guest spot from Ashley Park, Underheaven becomes a beautiful song, and if you follow Grader,
this is somewhat surprising. Their older works are some of my favourite
records, but not yet have they made something as heart wrenching. Everything compliments everything else in this track. This isn't a hardcore song at
all, but that doesn't matter.
As the EP continues, tracks like The
War Inside and Parts showcase
what Grader are best known for, but at the same time these tracks have these
new, slightly slowed down, more emotional twists. And in Parts, if it weren't for the trademark roughness of the vocals, the
chorus would basically be sung. And this, to me, is such a pleasant surprise.
Swiss, the track released as a preview to the EP, comes on next. And for
those who haven't heard it yet, you need to rectify this now. It takes
everything I've written about up until now and rams it down your throat in 3
and a half minutes.
The EP ends with On My Mind.
A slow track; an angry track. It builds and builds until… Clean guitar. I
wasn't expecting this. It's reminiscent of The Chariot's tactics. And as the
clean guitar plays, the tension builds up to the point where you almost can't
take it. Then the band comes in, and wow. It's heavy, it's angry, it's
emotional, and it's probably the best way Underheaven could have ended.
Reading this back while editing, I don't think I could have blown
any more smoke unless I had a length of hose and a 20 pack of Lambert and Butler.
But I'll give credit where credit's due. This is a fantastic EP and I can't
fault it. And one thing's for certain, I can't wait to see these tracks played
live now that I've had a chance to get to know them.
Underheaven by Grader is
out on March 18th via Ghost Music.
JL
No comments:
Post a Comment