Allt
Ataraxia
Progressive metalcore act Allt centre vulnerability and authenticity on their sophomore album Ataraxia. This exposed, raw honesty sees a shift in the band’s creative direction, as the album’s tracks are evidently designed to complement the lyrical themes. Embracing further the blurring of genre boundaries, a sense of creative freedom emanates from Ataraxia.
New Day manifests in full force. Highly rhythmic with touches of discordance, the power subsides to allow the rap vocals and harsh to take central focus. With an anthemic style, the chorus blends Allt’s melodic elements with inescapable heaviness. Omertà brings an untamed assault leaning into rap-metal. The high-octane character is interspersed with melodic choruses and brief moments of calm before returning to the devastation of Allt’s inescapable rhythmic display. There’s an enveloping sombre quality to the atmospheric opening of Nevermind. It’s a sudden shift into anguish-fuelled heaviness that carries an initially jarring feel. This is soon resolved as the electronics of the track’s introduction fuse with the monstrous sound in the Nevermind’s soaring chorus.
Enemy’s compelling sound gradually builds anticipation from it’s opening through the verse into the chorus. The lyrical hook awaiting in the chorus injects a dreamlike effect that has been subtly incorporated amidst the instrumental layers. While elsewhere on the track list Allt lean into more aggressive transitions and sections, Enemy, while still carrying juxtaposing elements, flows more instinctively from beginning to end. The album’s title track arrives with thundering heavy strikes that disrupt eerie synths and softer, clean vocal lines. The sonic weight of the heavy tones in this song is immense, and while more simplistic in its arrangement (and the shortest song on the album), Ataraxia delivers a fierce impact. Ultraviolence emerges in waves of dissonance and haunting synth layers. Contrasting textures construct a huge wall of sound. Rhythmic vocal arrangements and electronic beats provide movement to the ambient backdrop. Explosive layered clean and harsh vocals elevate the chorus as Allt blend a fusion of enthralling melodic lines with abrasive intensity.
Rumbling bass and a gentle lead motif run throughout Snowblind. Powerful passages reveal the anger beneath the surface. The track increasingly embraces further heaviness as it progresses, before ending on softly performed lyric. High Hopes provides a personal feel as the track’s dynamics ebb and flow. The lyric “I’m running from myself” is one of a number of particularly raw moments explored in this track. Ending with an acoustic guitar progression, it seems brighter and hopeful despite the darkness. The minimalist beginning of Avalon led by clean vocals, electronics and piano offers space to linger in the emotions displayed. Moments of heaviness and sonic aggression contrast against sections of energised rhythmic fervour. • HR
For fans of: Vildhjarta, ten56., Siamese
‘Ataraxia’ by Allt is out now on Century Media Records.
Negative Frame
Break The Ice
If the hardcore-cum-heavy-metal sound, the sludged-up clean vocals and the Eliran Kantor-esque artwork weren’t giveaways enough, Negative Frame are very much in the current camp of Malevolence worshippers. More than they used to be, too; this was a fairly straightforward hardcore outfit on their past EPs. For a full-length debut, though, this kind of lunge forward fills its space out nicely. Break The Ice, for as beholden to its influences as it is, feels impressive on scope and feature-completeness alone. Fattened guitars form into both hardcore gnashers and metal mega-grooves with equal ease, where the burning fervour of the band is always in play.
Kesari Gorin’s vocals pack a similar heat, only adding to the conscientiousness when he takes on the roles of both Alex Taylor and Konan Hall. He’s got a hunter’s scream on him, as to be expected, but just like Malevolence, heavy, down-low melodiousness proves Negative Frame’s secret weapon. A guttural, sludge-metal chorus is always good here; extrapolating that into what’s essentially a post-grunge ballad for Heavens Blue is shockingly great. With themes of preservance and determination calcifying its overall weight, Break The Ice marks Negative Frame’s impressive next chapter with gusto. As a full-length introduction (an icebreaker, if you will), you could do a lot worse. • LN
For fans of: Malevolence, Guilt Trip, Pest Control
‘Break The Ice’ by Negative Frame is released on 7th August on Blood Blast Distribution.
Initiate
With Love // With Rage
If the last few years’ spate of genre-indifferent hardcore out of California is anything to go by, you won’t be escaping Initiate in certain circles anytime soon. Just on the five tracks of With Love // With Rage, it already feels like they’re gearing up for that push. Between no-nonsense bloodletting on Burn After Reading, irresolvable tension on Numb The Pain, and brinkless melodic waves on Shadowboxing and Future Saving Grace, all bases are covered nicely. Nothing ever feels forced, either. Initiate delve into the work with such consideration and aplomb, not to mention production that does have sharpness without compromising depth. Even for a fairly brief EP, With Love // With Rage has some real meat to it.
Of course, the biggest plus is Crystal Pak, boasting a torn-up scream that’ll always go a long way towards winning favour. She really is the linchpin for Initiate’s current hurtling towards greatness, the element that ties everything together and makes this expression that much more potent. It’s true across the board; not one of these five tracks lacks in potency or bristle, because Initiate are just that tapped into making this work. All the while, their spontaneous edge—the main commonality among their recent scene-mates—is undeniably an excellent touch. It makes for the sort of EP that you end up clamouring for more of as soon as it’s over. Initiate really have struck gold as they move forward, on basically every front. Hope there’s a space at the top table being set for them, because they’ll need it soon enough. • LN
For fans of: Scowl, Touché Amoré, Love Rarely
‘With Love // With Rage’ by Initiate is released on 7th August on Blue Grape Records.
Words by Holly Royle (HR) and Luke Nuttall (LN)
