Robyn Writes

Review: Emmure – Speaker Of The Dead

 

 

‘Brutal and tubby. The triumphant return of Frankie Palmeri and Emmure’

Dear readers, I have a confession to make. I’m in love with a chubby, hairy man who doesn’t even know my name. I hang on every word he says, but stand in silence. I stare at him adoringly, but he looks away.

Okay, it’s no great romance, so let me lay it down. I fucking love Frankie Palmeri. Seeing him live turned my loins to mush, and with the release of ‘Speaker of the Dead’, my womb pretty much exploded as soon as I pressed ‘play’.

While many Emmure fans have been mourning the change in subject matter with ‘Speaker of the Dead’ (sorry guys – it’s hard to find any graphic rants at ex-girlfriends on this release!… well, maybe just the one…), nothing has been sacrificed in order to achieve this album’s new polished sound. And considering how loathsome some areas of modern deathcore have become, Emmure have done particularly well to retain their fanbase without straying into Bring Me The Horizon-style ‘Marmite’ territory i.e. There soon becomes two options: you either love them, their faces, their music and wish to erotically sidle up to their tunes in a dusky nightclub, OR, you’d rather nail your own scrotum to an anvil and throw yourself off a cliff, sooner than listen to them play a single note. While there will always be a fresh wave of hate for such ‘-core’ genres, Emmure have done particularly well to bridge the gap between ‘exciting new deathcore’ and ‘respected band’, and are fast becoming forerunners of the genre.

‘Speaker of the Dead’, although not Shakespearian in its lyrical content, or ground-breaking in its musical structure, is a bloody brilliant album that is sure to keep my stereo on its toes for the rest of 2011. Before you transpose any preconceptions on to the release, I urge you to take into consideration that this is a real case of not judging a book by its cover. While Emmure deliver that which is expected by their fans, it is their distinctive take on structural features that sets ‘Speaker of the Dead’ aside from other similar releases. Emmure’s tracks are still filled with breakdowns aplenty and enough guttural growls to wake Cthulhu from his slumber, but the band seem to have undergone an evolution of sorts- opening up their musical avenues to incorporate new musical movements and features. Many of the tracks on ‘Speaker of the Dead’ feature new electronic elements, and while the breakdowns are as heavy as ever, many instances feature a distinct dubstep influence which (surprisingly) adds to the overall heaviness and severity of the album.
While ‘Speaker of the Dead’ displays a clear musical evolution from 2009’s ‘Felony’, and it certainly has become my preferred Emmure album, the release is by no means flawless. While fifteen tracks may seem to be great value for money, more than a few of them could be seen as surplus to requirements – many are simply filler. That’s not to say that one can’t enjoy filler, but not every track on ‘Speaker of the Dead’ is a winner. Considering the longest track lasts 3minutes 50 (Solar Flare Homicide) and the shortest a mere 1:15 (Words of Intulo), if you don’t like one song, it’s not long before another one comes along to grab you.

Despite there being too many tracks and not enough time, there are some real stand-out works on Emmure’s release that are really worth a listen or two. ‘Area 64-66’ is a gritty, hazy slab of deathcore goodness and ‘4 Poisons 3 Words’ is a masterclass in how to make rap vocals really work in heavy genres. ‘Speaker of the Dead’ is very much Frankie’s record, with his vocals receiving the most attention and variety throughout the tracks. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he ‘carries’ the group, but he’s certainly their unique selling point. ‘A Voice from Below’ features some of the meatiest vocal lines I’ve heard in a long time, and although painfully clichéd (thanks to the repetition of ‘We’re all gonna fucking die’), ‘Words of Intulo’ sounds like it has been shat from the bowels of hell itself.

Personally, I have found there to be three stand-out tracks on the release, songs so immense and beefy that they shake your bones with each listen. ‘Demons With Ryu’ is the audible equivalent of a twelve car pile-up at a monster truck show. Or, if you don’t fancy my car-based imagery, ‘Demons With Ryu’ is fucking awesome. With a great structure, technical brilliance and dynamic changes strong enough to shift continents, it’s hard not to fall in love with this release. ‘Solar Flare Homicide’ is Emmure’s first single from ‘Speaker of the Dead’, and (thanks to the internet and the like) is accompanied by a neat little video of the guys going apeshit in a warehouse of some form. It’s consistently heavy, and builds to an enormous eye-bleedingly anthemic chorus. It’s understandable why it was chosen as their first release from the new album – with each listen, a new musical feature jumps out at you and you can spend all day picking up nuances. My iTunes play count pretty much sums it up: 34 and counting. ‘Last Words to Rose’ is definitely the wildcard track of the release that proves that *gulp* deathcore can be sensitive. Instrumentally, the song stands head and shoulders above the rest, with a soaring guitar line that could tear the roof off the studio. It is only Frankie’s distinctive vocals that pin the track down back into the Emmure canon. Like most other Emmure songs, the lyrics for the entirety of the song can be written on the back of a cigarette paper. Yet surprisingly, this time round, it doesn’t detract from the complex and delicate nature of the piece.
Overall, ‘Speaker of the Dead’ is an album of light and shade, with enough variety to keep you occupied for many, many months to come. Although not every song is a blinder, there certainly aren’t any duds, and tracks like ‘Solar Flare…’ soon help you put aside any negative thoughts towards the release as a whole. In short, whether you’re new to the genre or a seasoned Emmure fan, it is well worth splashing your cash to pick up a copy of ‘Speaker of the Dead. Me and my quivering loins say you won’t regret it.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Silent Descent – Duplicity

Like most people, much of my summer was spent knee-deep in mud, forgoing personal hygiene and fending off the amorous advances of half-naked unfamiliar men. While taking some down-time from sexually aggressive, lager-drenched teens, I actually got to see some live music (believe it or not). While seeing ageing super-groups did indeed have its merits, and I was more than happy to watch bands that were more hairspray than human, few of their performances had a lasting impact on me (aside from a few broken fingers, but that’s another story…). Being dragged into a small circus tent a few days before any arena opened, was by far one of my best festival experiences of the year.

Download 2010 (and a friendly stoner) introduced me to Silent Descent, a visceral punch of home-grown, British trance-metal. Now, ‘Trance Metal – the concept was about as familiar to me as ‘dignity’ is to Katie Price, but that’s beside the point. Initially, I was expecting some kind Enter Shikari /Hadouken! affair, but by God, they blew those bands out of the water. With deafening synths, violent riffs and a drum line that could awaken Godzilla, no-one in that steamy tent could stand still. After a set that left me battered and bruised, I found it hard to pick my jaw up from the floor (metaphorically – the pit was brutal, but no-one was dismembered); God only knows why they weren’t tearing up the main stage. After falling off a crowded train the following Monday, I threw myself onto the internet and ordered their latest album.

‘Duplicity’ is Silent Descent’s second release (the first being 2005’s self-titled album) and the one that got my heart pounding in that sweaty pit. And, needless to say, it doesn’t disappoint. ‘Anagram’ is the opening track of ‘Duplicity’ and does a sterling job of inhabiting the ‘delicate beginning, sudden heavyness’ sphere. ‘Anagram’ introduces the two different voices of Silent Descent’s vocalist- the Deathstars-esque low vocals and occasional screams and the more upbeat, clean, chorus-friendly voice. While melding metal with synths could be seen as a bit of a risky business, considering how one can quickly go from ‘credible act’ to ‘tacky mashup’, but somehow, Silent Descent have managed to find a way to fully meld the two; no occasional synths – they’re as integral as all conventional instruments.

‘Beyond Grey’ follows suit with a delicate piano intro with a sudden introduction of heavy riffs and is as pleasing to the ear. The track is predominantly lead by Tom Watlings‘s heavier vocals, with only the occasional emergence of clean vocals. Saying that, the uneven distrubition does prove to be effective, especially when the anthemic breaks of ‘Beyond Grey’ pop up. The track also features a rather snazzy guitar solo – one of many features the band use throughout their tracks in order to keep the tracks fresh and exciting. And, well, it works! While such bands could easily become tiresome and predictable, Silent Decent do manage to keep their (admittedly) lengthy tracks engaging.

‘I Can, I Will’ is a full blown musical assault that can’t help but get your blood pumping. For me, this is the track that really showcases the musical capabilities of the rest of the band – the drum line is so impressively precise and heavy, it makes me want to down sticks and admit defeat. The mixed guitars and bass also prove their worth with retina-melting displays of mastery. With such technical abilities within the band, it’d be more than easy to forego good music in favour of grand displays of musical masturbation (ten-minute solos, horrific time signatures etc), but they seem to have thankfully reigned it in.

‘Bleed In Trust’ is not necessarily my favourite track on the album, but as with much of the record, it too proves itself to be a substantial display of modern, metal musicianship. While ‘Bleed in Trust’ is an undoubtedly ‘metal’ track, its disconnected and repetitive vocal line wipes out all chances of memorability, and the whole affair does come across as being used as filler; to bulk up the album’s running time. The same can be said for ‘Hitting the Ground’, which, though an exciting instrumental track, is ultimately pointless as part of the album and simply does not match up to others, especially when regarding heavy structure and dynamics.

‘Duplicity’, the title track of the album instantly proves itself worthy of that accolade. Opening with a flurry of frenzied drums and synths, the track is kicked into a long metamorphosis, with each stage being as compelling and exciting as the last. Thankfully, the arrival of clean vocal sections helps dilute the growly haze created by previous tracks and the band are put back on trac k- showcasing their innovative approach to music-making. By no means is the ‘Duplicity’ free from heavier vocals, but they are used appropriately in relation to the stage of the song, and so produce a far more intense sound. While the track clocks in at an impressive 6:27, it is nigh impossible to tire of the track before it comes to its end, which is an achievement in itself- even Power Metal epics have fans dropping off half way.

The snazzily titled ‘Blood Fucked’ certainly lives up to the brutal nature of its name; evolving from a crechendo of guitars into a Cradle of Filth-style, discordant ball of anger. While far more extreme than other tracks, ‘Blood Fucked’ is so perilously close to falling off the wagon. Often, as the long, increasingly monotonous verses came to an end, the use of synths seemed to become more of a lifejacket – saving the track (and the listener’s interest) in the nick of time. Although there are sections of brilliance throughout ‘Blood Fucked’, at over six minutes long, it far outstays its welcome.

‘Prepare to Fly’ is a far cleaner and slower offering, which although retaining its metal sensibilities, manages to achieve a far warmer and commercial tone to its predecessors. Although ‘Prepare to Fly’ may suffer on a live platform as it lacks a constant running beat, particularly in the opening minutes, it proves to be one of my personal favourites, and a real gem of the album.

Although there is no sign of a ‘dud’ track on ‘Duplicity’, there are some which don’t quite hit the mark. ‘Failure’ and ‘Living in False Eternity’ are true examples of this – while the ideas behind them, especially the vocal changes and samples, are great, and do work for brief periods, they never seem to fully mesh with the existing verse structure that Silent Descent insist on retaining. Saying that, ‘Failure’ is an enjoyable song, and merits a few listens, there are few too many moments where changes seem clumsy or ill thought out.

The album closes on ‘In The Skies’. Now, stand-up comedians often begin their set with their second best joke, and end with their best material. Thankfully, Silent Descent have chosen a similar method. At 8:37, it’s certainly their longest track, and could be interpreted as a ‘best of’. Employing rap-style vocals, delicate piano interludes and good old fashioned metal growls, ‘In The Skies’ can’t help but plant excitable butterflies in your stomach. The eight and a half minute epic delivers a cinematic, brutal and, well, vital shock to the heart that leaves the listener breathless. Enthralling, exciting and innovative – ‘Duplicity’ closes on a structural and general musical triumph.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Thousand Autumns – City Of Sun [EP]

While Birmingham has long cherished its crown as king of the Midlands and birthplace of heavy metal (cheers Ozzy!), a new county is unashamedly dominating the up-and-coming alternative music scene: world, meet Hertfordshire. While Birmingham is angry and hairy, Hertfordshire has been toning, plucking and waxing itself to perfection-in recent years creating such shiny and infeasibly pretty entities as My Passion and their pals. Yet away from the blinding light of Kerrang! Endorsements and sharp tailoring, the unsigned masses of Hertfordshire, are producing music as impressive as any signed band I’ve heard in recent years.

Recently, I’ve been having a feverish and torrid love affair with young five-piece from Welwyn Garden City (well, haven’t we all?). Thousand Autumns, like many of their contemporaries, are a young and irritatingly attractive rock band with v-necks and trendy shoes a-plenty. Yet, when discounting their trendy clothing and inoffensive tattoos, their sound sets them apart. Imagine Funeral for a Friend had a drunken sexual encounter with The Blackout; Thousand Autumns could easily be regarded as their bastard offspring. While the order of the day in today’s popular rock scene is a pretty predictable ‘sing a bit, shout a bit, chanty chorus, sing a bit, shout a bit…’, thankfully these guys keep their sound fresh and clean by not wearing their influences on their sleeve. While everyone loves a whiny faux-American singer these days, I find myself ready and willing to embrace vocalist Josh Fox for not bowing to this tasteless trend. In every live performance and every recording, you’d be hard pressed to find a point where the result could be deemed whiny.

 Although the band are mere infants – having formed as recently as 2010, their Debut EP is definitely an essential addition to any music fan’s collection. While they’ve kindly offered it as a free download on their website, it is also available in a physical CD format, which I urge you to purchase as soon as possible. ‘City of Sun’ is an incredibly neat and polished creation consisting of four brilliantly written and infectiously catchy songs, including their new and increasingly popular single ‘I Chose Not To Remember’. Opening with a riff as catchy as swine flu, it evolves into an energetic and punchy creation with a great structure and compelling melody. Featuring surprisingly good lyrics and a great vocal showcase from Fox, the whole affair is incredibly well produced. No wonder its quickly becoming a staple on channels such as Lava and the like.

‘Sent to Erase’ proves to be a far heavier track than expected – while the instrumental score could easily have been lifted from a Bullet for My Valentine album, once again their identity is firmly stamped on their work through layered and brief gang vocals (which I strongly hope they feature more in later works) and catchy, slightly softer, yet memorable choruses.‘Terrified’ is a real showcase of the musical capabilities of the non-vocal members of Thousand Autumns, particularly Alex Williams’ lead guitar work. This seems to be the heaviest offering on the ‘City of Sun’ EP, and there really are growls aplenty, and a nifty little breakdown which one can never  complain about. Yet, as much as it pains me to say so, their lyric-writing skills leave more than a little to be desired, especially in the earlier verses. They’re not so awful that they detract from the enjoyment of the song, but they are dodgy enough for a listener to raise their eyebrows; ‘…tears of children come at night. You procreated, you’re a selfish human being…’ was a line I found particularly cringey, however nicely it was sung. Sorry lads.

‘In the City of Sun’ is the powerful title-track, which wastes no time in getting started and grabbing the listener. Thankfully, lyrical control is regained, as is their impressive structural control. While being the longest track on the EP, it thankfully doesn’t descend into self-indulgence, as is often the case. The employment of tasteful gang vocals and some thigh-quivering guitar work cements ‘In The City Of Sun’ as a particular highlight and a track that was made for performance- if you haven’t found yourself with an air guitar, or a hairbrush microphone, then you my friend, need a wakeup call.

 Unlike many other groups in similar genres, Thousand Autumns don’t sound like some backing musicians and a disconnected vocalist; they are very much a band, functioning as a single entity. Their dedication and ambition feels almost tangible, and their music screams potential. Thousand Autumns were made for greatness – and, as much as I hate to admit it, the future’s bright, the future’s Southern. *groan*

4 out of 5 high fives!

Live: Never Say Die! 2010 – O2 Academy Birmingham, 31/10/10

The minute I stepped through the door, I thought ‘I shouldn’t be here’. It was Halloween, Kitteh and I thought that we should do something because neither of us could do our usual respective Halloween activities and we chanced upon Parkway Drive and Comeback Kid touring together. “You wanna do it?” “Hell yeah I wanna do it!” and the tickets were booked. But stepping through the doors, into a barrage of scene mullets, fat girls with too much eyeliner and brightly coloured band t-shirts (seriously, what happened to black?), was almost too much to handle. I guess I forgot that hardcore is a bit ridiculous these days.

At the merch stand, Kitteh got major props from Bleeding Through’s super awesome keyboardist Marta (“That necklace is soooo cool, where did you get it?!” “To be honest, Claire’s… the Halloween stuff is surprisingly good.” “No way!!”), I picked up a bitchin’ Comeback Kid shirt and we kicked back, relaxed, paid far too much for a VK and a coke and waited for the next band to come on, having already missed We Came As Romans, who I’m sure were very good as they had dinosaurs on their t-shirts. Your Demise, who to my surprise were British, came on and we ventured on in. Despite being just the second band on, they had a lot of support from the audience who two-stepped and floor-punched their way into a frenzy. Your Demise are great hardcore – absolutely full of energy with enough melody to actually make a song while still being heavy as fuck. They’re not too serious, but it was clear that there was a lot more depth than just ‘mosh mosh mosh’ in their sound. War From A Harlot’s Mouth were up next, but they didn’t leave a lasting impression. They were vaguely akin to Caliban, so in other words, heavy German metalcore. You get the picture.

Emmure, however, were something incredible. Glorious deathcore hailing from various parts of the US, they shocked and awed the crowd with an amazing performance. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri has a voice that sounds like a bowel movement in his throat – deep, distressing and potentially cathartic. Emmure are an insanely intense band; every song is like a direct assault. There’s no bullshit either; the band’s there to play, not chat to the teenies on the front row. I wasn’t in the mosh, but I believed it to be brutal, much like the sound coming out of the speakers. It’s impressive stuff, so definitely check them out if they’re over again.

Bleeding Through are a band that Kitteh and I have been waiting to see for a while. And oh man, they were definitely the heaviest band of the night. Marta is just so impressive to behold – the headbanging whilst rocking the keyboards was so intense she probably got some kind of concussion. The songs from the latest release sound amazing and the band were on top form. They’re so typically American though – Brandon says thank you after every song, everything’s posi until they tell us they’re enemies of everything and I dunno, it gave the set a bit of a weird feel. However, it’s forgivable because Brandon is ridiculously beef. So so beef.

Comeback Kid are also in the same boat – they’re a band I’ve been wanting to see for absolutely ages. And they delivered, holy shit they delivered. They also played a lot from their latest release and the new songs sound great; that perfect mix of crushing yet melodic hardcore that Comeback Kid are renowned for. I got a bit too excited when they played Broadcasting. The sound wasn’t as good for Comeback Kid as it should have been – the levels were a bit off, but nevertheless, it was an exciting set. While they may not be quite as fun to watch as bands like Your Demise and headliners Parkway Drive (who to be fair, are just mental), they’re certainly captivating. Not the best set of the evening but pretty damn close.

The best set of the evening, truly, must be reserved for Parkway Drive. It may have been their first time in Birmingham, but they owned the venue entirely. The set was divided into two halves – they played songs from Deep Blue, the new album first, and then a mix from Horizons and Killing With A Smile. When I say two halves, I literally mean that – a quick break in the set to change the back drop, put out some palm trees and to try and make it feel a bit more like Byron Bay. Dinghies and beach balls all inclusive too. The sound was sorted out entirely and every note in Winston’s growl was audible all the way to the back. Parkway Drive are excellent showmen – there was a mini circle pit on stage, they got the crowd going insane over an Australian football and you felt like you were part of something grander. The inclusion of older songs in the set was pretty impressive, especially Romance Is Dead and Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro, which sounded amazing. As a devotee to Killing With A Smile, I was happy. When I say I’ve never seen anything quite like it, that’s not hyperbole, that’s fact – Parkway Drive are just insane live, and insanely good at that. The new giants of hardcore are here.

Review: My Passion – Corporate Flesh Party


Is the ‘Kerrang!’-friendly quartet worth all the hype?

In order to appreciate this album for its creative merits, you must clear your mind of any preconceptions; of any memories of rabid fans or luminous merchandise. My Passion are a band who are inevitably going to be judged by their appearances, and it’s understandable as to why. The Hertfordshire collective are slick, stylish and very, very easy on the eye- but are they all eyeliner and no substance? Their debut album ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ tells us all we need to know.

Corporate Flesh Party opens with the rich and surprisingly heavy offering that is Crazy and Me; a particularly catchy number with a killer bassline. Between each verse is a suitably beefy musical interlude that can’t help but get you moving, or at least tapping your foot. This catchy little ditty also showcases some particularly impressive changes in dynamics, tempo and a subtle and not unpleasant appearance of some mild synths. All in all, a good, upbeat, fun opener.

Although ‘Crazy and Me’ is an inevitable crowd-pleaser, it is within such self assured tracks as Play Dirty that My Passion come into their own. With a particularly impressive mix of synths and raw guitars, they create a memorable, danceable tune with a metal edge. ‘Play Dirty’ boasts a distinctly original sound that I can’t help but find compelling. Although their frequent use of synthesisers can’t help but draw comparisons with such outfits as Enter Shikari, the prominent use of synthesisers is where such similarities end. ‘Play Dirty’ is polished and honed in each element- the dual vocals between their sickeningly multi-talented drummer Jonathan Gaskin and vocalist Lawrence Rene are flawless and incredibly effective in creating a suitably high-energy vibe. Day of the Bees is the second promotional video from the record and is indeed one of the more radio-friendly offerings from the album. Once again, My Passion deliver a suitably fun, synth driven attack that keeps the listener on their toes with an impressive off-beat, bouncy rhythm. ‘Day of the Bees’ proves to be more electro and poppy than the other tracks on ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ but any element of superficiality on this track is swiftly counteracted by some rather fetching screams and powerful breaks in dynamics and the band really deliver on the choruses with a particularly effective use of both vocalists. Never Everland is a surprisingly heavy song, with an introduction of light synths quickly evolving into a far heavier, faster mix. Never Everland also sees the appearance of more variety on the part of Rene, as he introduces more raw, harder features to his vocals. Although ‘Never Everland’ is a very enjoyable track, by now, any listener will have noticed that although My Passion can indeed do music, their lyrics leave a little to be desired. If what you look for in a band is profound, poetic lyrics, I’m afraid you won’t find it with this band, but on the other hand, if you want catchy, fun songs that are great to dance to and will most probably remain in your head for most of the day, then ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is your sort of album. Personally, as soon as I heard the words ‘clap-trap rubbish’ set to music, I was sold.

Winter for Lovers is a real prize find. While the upbeat, danceable tunes cater to an excitable, live audience, it is with songs such as this that My Passion really showcase their versatility as musicians. ‘Winter for Lovers’ shows a different side to them; a more sensitive, considered, mature side, which really should rear its head more often. Although songs of a slower pace are few and far between on this album, when they do appear, they certainly impress. Once again, the song is weighted towards the chorus, but it doesn’t undergo so many sudden or severe changes in order to get there. Winter for Lovers also possesses some of the most appealing and least odd lyrics of the album, so much so that it even enters understandable territories. Hot in the Dolls House provides a sudden, slightly jarring change of pace and re-entry into the world of ‘live’ My Passion. ‘Hot in the Dolls House’ was in fact, their first demo and, despite this, has aged particularly well, proving itself to be one of the stronger tracks on the album. This track is a particularly self-assured effort with a strong and masterful mix of strong synths and heavy guitars which builds to a fabulous, authentic, raw chant of “No Picture”. Even the outro of this song is bound to get anyone’s heart beat racing that little bit faster. As with ‘Winter for Lovers’, After Calais is another departure from their usual heavy sound. ‘After Calais’ is far more down tempo and unexpectedly delicate, especially considering the nature of the song it follows. The heavier elements of My Passion are put aside for the duration of the track, and a more experimental and softer avenue has been taken. Although putting this ‘wild card’ of a song on the album could be seen as a bit of a risk, it’s a risk that has certainly paid off. After Calais also features some wonderfully clear vocals from both drummer and vocalist which one can only hope will be featured in a greater capacity in the outfit’s future work. Thanks for Nothing is another polished and surprisingly heavy demo from 2009 and most certainly bears the best and most effective use of synths on the album. From a deceptive introduction, heavy verses soon build into clear synth breaks and pounding anthemic chants. There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe the technical mastery in this brief song. The gloriously titled The Fabulous Blood Disco is, initially at least, reminiscent of the famous ‘blood-shower’ club scene in Blade. Despite the wonderfully over-the-top title, this is one of the rather more straightforward and lighter mixes on the album- providing a far milder electro/rock blend. In relation to the rest of the album, I’d say this was one of the weaker tracks, yet that is not to say that it’s bad, it just lacks many of the original qualities found in the rest of the album. Saying that, I’m sure that it’d be far more memorable in a live set. Plastic Flesh Garden is yet another surprising offering, beginning rather down-tempo, as with ‘Winter for Lovers’ and ‘Calais’, and quickly building into something far more upbeat and visceral (in parts, at least). Once again, conflicting elements blend seamlessly together for the choruses and through a swift increase in tempo, and the addition of some more aggressive vocal stylings, My Passion demonstrate the distinct sound that has brought them such a dedicated following. The final track of ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is the oddly titled Vultures are People Too. It’s a painful cliché to say so, but they really have saved the best ‘till last. This track is my personal favourite of the entire album; I’d even go as far as to call it a musical triumph. ‘Vultures are People Too’ is a real creative explosion, with each member proving their worth through a perfectly crafted outpouring of their individual talents. The song is weirdly beautiful, with odd lyrics that somehow fit with the fluid musical stylings perfectly. It features an odd mix of styles and techniques that really shouldn’t meld together that well, but everything seems to come full circle into a perfect mix. For a four minute song, it is surprisingly diverse and certainly gives the impression of being an epic piece of work. The strange, almost a cappella ‘outro’ proves to be a perfect and suitably haunting end to the album.

Overall, My Passion are hard to pin down and label, as much as magazines would like to- heck, even the band themselves struggle to give a name to their sound. Considering the style of their songs changes so often, one can’t help but think that this is one of the features that’ll be first to go if big record labels get their hands on the band. At times, their sound is so diverse, it seems rather jarring, and subsequently, I should be calling out for consistency. But personally, I believe My Passion to be one of those special musical jewels that only comes around once in a blue moon, and they should be cherished for it. You aren’t supposed to understand, analyse or unpick My Passion (rendering this review slightly useless), just open your ears, close your eyes to their image and appreciate them for what they are- four incredibly talented musicians. Or, alternatively, look upon them as three wonderful musicians, and one drummer who has surely ripped a hole in time and space under the crippling weight of his talents. All in all, ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ is, to smack a label on it, a ‘must-have album’, whether you’re a goth, metalhead, punk, scene-kid, whatever. Chances are, those who swing towards the heavier spectrum of things will have to mark the album as a guilty pleasure – that won’t matter. My Passion are a force to be reckoned with and, if they keep their sound and don’t bend to the pressures of the industry, their 2010 offering should be mind-blowing.

4.5 high fives out of 5!