Beyond Betrayal - Money Can't Save You Now
Melodic Metalcore may not be the most inspiring of press release description, and Melodic Metalcore from Barrow In Furness may sound like pouring salt in the wounds, but this 5 track EP is a polished and accomplished affair from a band who clearly like to wear their influences on their sleeves. The hastily put together list of 'for fans of' bands included all that you would expect - Killswitch Engage, I Killed The Prom Queen et al - and you get pretty much the Ronseal effect with the tracks on offer here. None of those of such a disposition will be disappointed.
I hear echoes of early Darkest Hour personally, a little bit of Evergreen Terrace mixed in for good measure. The intriguingly titled Scott's Got A Time Machine (He Told Me Tomorrow) is the standout track for me and shows off the majority of the band's armoury - they seem to be at ease when they hit things a little more from the beatdown/metal corroborative primordial soup angle. Gang vocals lines and dropdown riffs are the band's forte. The slightly dated sound of the following track, Tear Me Apart, exploring melody and riffs recycled from 2007, is less appealing. The band have a ferocity in places that is their strength - more melodic versions of Parkway Drive riffs lead any band down a deadend they are unlikely the return from. Do it for over 5 minutes and you are treading on very thin ice indeed.
It's an EP that, for me, shows a lot of promise, performed and produced to the ninth degree, but lacking that seal of self-identity you hope for from EPs bands put out at the beginning of their careers.