Recorded in just five days last year at Bucks University, Succession is a debut borne out of passion, frustration and dedication. All of these have come together to deliver a solid, confident release that will no doubt put the band straight on the radar.
Given CB6’s young age (although the band initially formed when they were 11), it’s heartwarming to see some of the most well loved musical trends of the early 00s sneaking into their music and blending in perfectly with a hearty 90s thrash influence and hardcore fire. There’s little hints of nu-metal all over the place, from the layered vocals in ‘Illusion’ to the heavily effects laden instrumental that is ‘Penny’, but when the boys need to throw down, there’s no doubt about it. Opening track ‘Perfect’ is a tightly wound riff fest and Ryan Monteith’s vocals, not quite a growl but not quite a shout, complement that well, and ‘Elephant In The Room’ is a complete mosh anthem. Not completely constrained by genre sensibilities, there’s a lot of melody infused throughout too. ‘Cold Season’ combines all of the best elements of CB6 in one glorious bitesized chunk, and in closer ‘Eye Of The Magpie’, the chorus is a complete game changer, displaying a keen and confident talent.
What CB6 do well, they do very well. But there’s an overreliance on chugging riffs and repetitive structure that really starts to rear its head by the second half of the record. The same Pantera-esque sounds begin to dominate the record, and while they’re great for a while, it definitely becomes tiresome. Perhaps Succession would have worked well split over two EPs instead of a single record where it would be less apparent, but even so, it’s a record that shows a lot of potential, and with some relentless touring, the band will be capturing the attention of hardcore fans all over the country.
3.5 out of 5 high fives!