Very Impressive Debut
The UK is providing an incredibly exciting pit of talent in heavy music at the moment, to the point where we're veering in to the good side of being slightly overwhelmed. Particularly beating the drum at the moment is the very welcome racket flowing out of the Hardcore scene, whether they be the straight up beat-down bands or the more meticulous units planting their flags across several sub-genres, there is no doubt that it is rousing at the moment. Of course, the key then for the new bands entering the fray is making sure they don't end up becoming lost in the minefield. Luckily for Provoker, the mix of experience and general ability has them standing tall and ready to take on all comers.
Opening with the previously released Admission the band instantly set the tone of what to expect from Provoker. As ridiculously simplistic as this may sound, unlike so many who fall short, the band have taken the idea that they're providing a five track debut EP and run with what you should expect - its need to pack a succinct, impact blow. The opening track serves as a perfect introduction to the real strong-point within this band and those are the dual vocals provided by Angus Robertson and Joe Spratt. Following the lead given by bands like While She Sleeps and Bury Tomorrow at the moment, this could have ended up a full carbon copy but they've both gone gung-ho with it, delivering this genuine sense of desperation whether through the more extreme or melodic moments - something especially prevalent on the second track Solitary. Considering that this is a debut EP it is definitely impressive to hear how 'mature' sounding this partnership already appears to be.
If you had to pick out flaws on the record, it would only really be steeped in the fact that they're not exactly re-inventing the wheel but we're certain that if they carry on this kind of path, the opportunity to reach in to more unknown territories will present itself. At the moment they sound like While She Sleeps and Architects ran in to each other at pace and spawned a little band from Portsmouth in the aftermath of the chaos. Big words yeah, but the potential is there in spades.
Overall then, this is a frenetic, chaotic Hardcore EP from a band who clearly understand and appreciate the importance of blending your heavy stuff with more melodic moments. With the fact that this is literally their debut, we are already incredibly excited to see what they have to offer going forward. One of the current big guns need to get this band out on tour, with tracks like these and the reputation they've garnered live, even a touch of that kind of exposure could see the band propel skywards.