Groove, Chaos, Brilliant.
Heart Of A Coward have received a lot of big press before the release of Deliverance. The band have been trickling through tracks here and there and letting the music do the talking as far as promising ‘big things’ were concerned. We checked them out at Ghostfest, where they played to an oddly thinning crowd, but even so it was the new material on the day which caught the most attention. Some bottle them into the ‘Metalcore’ category, but across this album alone it is so clear that Heart Of A Coward are so much more than that. Some of the riffs on tracks like Hollow and Miscreation which open the album takes its influences directly from the likes of Meshuggah and Decapitated. Blending their Hardcore style into this miasma of chaos makes it an absolute joy to listen to.
A joy because on this album Heart Of A Coward are just the latest in a long list of bands lately who have quite clearly presented a step up. The production on this album is absolutely huge and by the time you get to the title track halfway through you will have listened to each track about four or five times because honestly, and we’ve tried, it’s impossible to just throw this album on and let it run through. Some of the riffs are so bone crushingly effective it just promotes repeat listens. The title track itself epitomises this - especially with front man Jamie Graham weaving between harsh and softer vocals absolutely brilliantly. It just sounds like an album the band threw their whole weight behind - in a scene which is crowded and heaving with both the great and the terrible at the moment, it is important for the likes of Heart Of A Coward to stamp their authority on exactly why they’re consistently picked out as one of those to watch out for. The pressure was undoubtedly there for them to deliver, but they have done so in a BIG way.
Musically the band sound heavier and more precise than they’ve perhaps shown on previous records. This feels like a far more calculated assault on the part of Heart Of A Coward, and it has worked. Where it needs to be kept simple they’ve done just that, delivering riffs containing equal amounts of groove and heavy - but then we’ve got the likes of Skeletal I - Mourning Repairs and Skeletal II - Arise respectively, which advertises nicely their love for awkward time signatures and more epic soundscapes. Honestly this record could end up being a defining moment for Heart Of A Coward. We recently reviewed the new Parkway Drive record, and between the two of them alone it is clear to see that there are some truly exciting young Heavy bands throwing their weight about at the moment and we’re absolutely loving it.