2024-09-25 07:00:38
(c) Lizzie Dorning
The first album was actually the second album: until the beginning of this year as living arrows Still Dead Bird and released a record under that name. Although the quintet from the English coastal town of Brighton now calls themselves something different, their sound has changed little: screamo, emo, post-hardcore and other atmospheric and brutal sounds adorn their performances. I.Corrupt.Records visited and given “Hope and Destruction” A well-deserved stage.
Overlong, crushing songs like “The Greatest Weight” highlight the Brits’ unique special position, escalating and doing their best in this environment. The first few seconds build straight into a climax that tests listening habits with ominous guitars and harrowing, intentionally unsettling vocals. We know something is going to happen here soon. After a full two minutes, the basic emotion of nervousness and instability erupts for the first time, pushing the screams to other metal extremes. That little nightcap in the middle, that brief breath in the center of the song, is so important.
The tension is palpable in Our Meridian, too. The (speaking) singing and shaky arrangements look for the jump and hit it with pinpoint precision. This isn’t the first time that subtle touches of post-black metal have appeared, organically embedded in the chaotic madness and sharp, brutal attack. By contrast, “As Upper, So Below” seems to hold up well for a long time, with drool-worthy screams that will send shivers down your spine even in its supposedly quieter passages until at last. Much of “The Tower” relies on classic post-rock, relying on a lengthy lead-up before a mathematically melancholic second half briefly escalates and breaks down to include Sweat of Fear.
As the passion continues to grow, so does the constant riding on the razor blade. Even with its new title, “Like Living Arrows” remains direct and uncompromising, brave and unyielding, and for a long time every second rubs against the stomach walls like sandpaper. “Hope and Destruction” sounds combative but always close to giving up, celebrating the dark side as a necessary companion while appreciating the struggle to somehow stay afloat. The first album under the new name was a huge success for the British.
Rating: 8/10
Release date: September 27, 2024
Available from: I.Corrupt.Records
website: aslivingarrows.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aslivingarrows.band
category: Magazines, reviews
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#Living #Arrows #Hope #Destruction
