Review: Under Paris - Transitions

Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, “Not in his goals but in his transitions is man great.” Some may think or regard this as adaptation, but it’s actually more of a form of transcendence through hardships. Should you persevere and successfully surpass and navigate your goals through life’s plethora of trials and tribulations, you will likely thrive in the name of your efforts and fluid determination. If it holds true that in his transitions man finds greatness, then Under Paris’ debut release, Transitions, has set the band on a course towards success with every energetic riff and merciless breakdown.

Kicking off the album is “Shallow Grave”, a blistering, brooding track that is armed to the teeth with ravaging musicality and relentless brutality. A quick, eerie, discordant guitar lick greets your ears before swiftly introducing you face-first to a murderous frenzy of vicious, heavy riffage and guttural screams. Guitarists Serrano and Morrow masterfully craft intertwining spastic melodic arias that burst and flourish overtop the hail of slightly groovy, thundering riffs that are guaranteed to shred through your ears. Drummer Lucas Richards puts forth a magnificent display of quick, skillful footwork and excellent cymbal play in his pulsating, jaw-breaking percussion as bassist Riley Phillips steadily grooves on. Vocalist Michael “Thorr” Alexander proves his given namesake of the mighty Norse God with a frenzied array of deep, vengeful growls and ferocious, throat-tearing mid screams. The seemingly endless torrent of fierce instrumentation and relentless rage suddenly delves down into one last sprinting, face-melting breakdown.

Up next is “At War With Myself”, a weighted track that displays the band’s softer, yet energetic and emotionally heavier side. A melodic strummed riff steadily merges into heavy, driven riffs, driving percussion, and deep, somewhat gentler screams. Serrano and Morrow showcase their well-rounded instrumental talent with a clashing pairing of melodic, emotionally weighted riffs and jarring bursts of heavy chugging and melodic overlays to make an instrumental dichotomy that runs parallel with the song’s lyrical content. Richards also intelligently mashes a gentler, more cymbal and toms-driven style with bursts of footwork-driven, “traditional” metalcore elements that perfectly matches the rest of the presented instrumentation. Michael Alexander’s split between vengeful, heavy lows and deep mid screams add a layer of intensity to the emotional disparity that is clearly felt throughout the track. Alexander’s screams intermittently subside to allow a surprising added element of clean vocals from bassist Riley Phillips to soar and captivate. Under Paris ends this emotionally torn track with a final hair-raising, somber, ringing question from Phillips: “What have I become? Is there something more?”

Although Transitions features quite a few stand-out tracks, the explosive track “Yolswag#420” is absolutely deserving of an honorable mention. This short track packs a heavy punch that is guaranteed to rupture your eardrums. Grooving, pitch bent riffs from Serrano and Morrow become progressively more violent as tumultuous layers of grooving, unforgiving bass lines from Phillips and Richards’ pounding, driving percussion join the mania-inducing fray. What truly sets this track apart from the rest is the abrupt mashing of pacing in which previously fast-paced riffage comes to a gradual, grinding halt for a series of intense, grooving, sexy, sliding, bone-crunching breakdowns. Every slide, kick, and chug is presented as aural ecstasy as your ears are repeatedly pummeled with the audible replication of the feeling of having your skin slowly ground away as your face is repeatedly introduced to a concrete wall of heavy sound. 

Another honorable mention is “Midwest Winters”, yet another surprisingly instrumentally and vocally emotive track. A simple chain of strummed notes gives way to emotionally charged riffage backed by relentless driving percussion. Vocalists Alexander and Phillips cleverly weave a beautiful pairing of clean screams and harsh mid screams and growls. The lightly echoed lyrics of Phillips’ cleanly sung chorus adds a nice layer of backing intensity to the overall vocal delivery of this track.  Serrano and Morrow have this extremely skillful quality of adding slightly discordant or melodic notes on their chords and have a special knack for putting an unwavering amount of energy behind every emotive melodic overlay and passionate, intensely chugged verse. A surprisingly forceful breakdown smashes through the layers of emotive riffs before quickly taking a lighter turn and returning to the passionate chord progression of the emotionally-drenched chorus. 

The album closes with “At Peace”, a bouncy, grooving track that unleashes a final aural assault of skin-shredding breakdowns and charged lyricism. Energetic riffs and pulsating percussion gradually build and explode into a mixture of fast-paced riffs and melodic arias and overlays as Phillips pours his heart out in his delivery of clean vocals. Again, Under Paris presents a split dichotomy of melodic and heavier elements as the melodic instrumentals spastically take on a much more fierce and aggressive form through interludes of sizzling breakdowns and grizzly growls and split-scream harmonies from Alexander. The seamless addition and integration of guest vocals from The Color Morale’s Garret Rapp adds a perfect layer of lyrical and vocal intensity and emotionalism that perfectly balances out the undertones of melodic and heavy instrumentation before delving back into a final tirade of relentless, jarring breakdowns that will leave you begging for more. 

Overall, Under Paris has created an album that could easily be mistaken for a storybook or a timeline.  Each track signifies a noticeable change or transition from one state to another, and aptly documents these changes. More importantly, the instrumentation perfectly fits each and every change of pace and of mindset, all the while never allowing their passion or energy to cease or quiver. If Emerson's declaration is correct- if man is truly great in his transitions rather than his goals- then Under Paris’ Transitions is reaching towards perfection.

9/10

For Fans Of: It Dies Today, Scarlett O’Hara, Like Moths to Flames 

Katt Hass

Review: Enthrall the Weak -"Heavy Hearts" [Single]

The great Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” The idea behind his message is simple: put all of your energy into something –your passion, your skill, and your will – and the product of such efforts will take on success in the direction that you make it take.   Embodying this philosophy is none other than Ohio’s Enthrall the Weak. Their latest single, “Heavy Hearts”, takes on a consistently heavy directionality with an aggressively passionate and energetic approach.

Viscous riffs and licks and equally enraged drum fills kick off this track before exploding into an aggressive frenzy of brutal, emotive instrumental and vocal tonality.  Grooving, fast, irate riffs from guitarists Amato and Gray pulsate, swell, and burst with the sudden and fatal intensity of an aneurysm. Drummer Jimmy Amato’s aptly crafted drum fills, cymbal play, and excellent, borderline-insane footwork in his delivery of relentless percussion adds a perfect layer of instrumental passion and tonality. Vocalist David Darlak utilizes a brilliant combination of shouted lyrics and gritty, singeing mid and high screams to deliver a vocal performance that burns with a raw, sizzling intensity of a chemical burn. Multiple interludes abound in the form of savage riffage and short, blistering breakdowns. What truly makes this track special- aside from the ferocious, fast-paced, looming breakdown led by a grooving bass drop from bassist Trace Miller- is the equal parts of collaborative musicianship executed by all members to form an overall perfectly-crafted tonality of persistent and precise brutality.

Enthrall the Weak has crafted an excellent example of the powerful blend of pristine skill, unwavering energy, and passionate, heartfelt musicianship. No singular musical element overpowers the rest as each musician’s skill is masterly interwoven within one another’s to form a perfect  harmony of persistent heaviness. Enthrall the Weak has created more than a track- they’ve managed to take a poetic feeling of emotional weight and combine it with drive and stellar instrumentation to give such a melancholic phenomenon an audible dimension of depth. “Heavy Hearts” is a powerful, refreshing, and passionate track that best exemplifies what it means to go somewhere with all of your heart.

10/10

For Fans Of: Know Lyfe, When Skies Go Black, At No End

Katt Hass

Review: My Ransomed Soul - Trilateral

All human minds require constant sensory stimulation and continual testing of reflexes. It’s part of how we learn- we compile data from all of these previous experiences and –from said data- make predictions and decisions within a matter of seconds. In turn, we develop routine, an understanding of order, and the ability to understand, question and improve our societal structures. But our minds function much like an economy- we require our own sort of mental stimulus package. As much as we are creatures of habit, we still need a variation of (or a deviation in) stimuli to keep ourselves active, alert, and sharp. Without any new stimulation, we grow bored, lethargic, and complacent with our dependencies on structured routines. We begin to operate like machines- working the same cycle repetitively until exhaustion overtakes us. We forget or lose our wit, our ability to feel, and our ability to think and make informed decisions as independent entities. Thankfully, My Ransomed Soul is emerging as the refreshing new stimulus our ears so desperately need. Their third release, Trilateral, is sure to elicit a new-found wave of response with every crashing breakdown, groovy riff, and passionate, politically-charged verse.

Opening the album is “Rise”, a brief, menacing intro built upon pulsating layers of swiftly rising industrial effects that instantly bleed into the next brooding track, “Mockingbird.” Commanding riffs, raw mid screams, and pulsating percussion immediately hit your ears with the crashing force of falling trees. Guitarists Frey and Fernandez intelligently mash together a driving display of heavy chugging with spastic bursts of slightly-discordant arias and melodic overlays.  Backing this frontal assault is drummer Fredy Menjivar’s relentless percussion, which showcases his footwork and excellent cymbal play that is masterfully intertwined with the intensity of the rest of the instrumentation. Vocalist Brendon Frey wields a powerful display of angry, raw mid screams and dynamic split-scream harmonies. Jarring breakdowns rudely burst through the heavy riffage, with every chug perfectly orchestrated to rile you up and set your blood boiling. It’s more than a moment of stellar instrumentation- it’s a much needed wake-up call.  What’s more, My Ransomed Soul utilizes a sampled recording of a George H. W. Bush quote – and it actually fits the charged instrumentation and lyrical content perfectly.    

It’s near impossible to name a singular stand-out track on this album, as each one stands on its own as its own commentary. However, the explosive track “Monarch” is absolutely deserving of an honorable mention. An angry, accusatory lick immediately explodes into forceful, bitter grooving riffs matched by equally spiteful raw screams from Frey and an unrelenting tirade of percussion from Menjivar. My Ransomed Soul truly flexes their collective technical prowess and precision in every grinding, sliding breakdown, each seething with waves of vindictiveness and discontent that transcends through your ears to your mind and your soul. The overall bitter tonality from every jarring, anticipatory chug is both enraging and eye-opening as your ears are mercilessly slammed with an instrumental and musical intensity that is guaranteed to knock your teeth out of your skull.

Another honorable mention is “Trilateral”, a short, yet reflective track. A melodic, simple, plucked melody rings out overtop a sampled interview between former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Charlie Rose over the topic of the fragile state of Syria.  Undertones of powerful, introspective guitar and bass riffs simmer below the sampled recording, before lashing out into a gentle, melodic medley of layered guitars and mild percussive elements. Some may not find this interesting, but it is goddamn special. My Ransomed Soul has done something that most other bands are incapable of doing or have failed to achieve: producing a track that is equally as heavy as a breakdown, sans breakdowns and sans ferocious riffs. My Ransomed Soul has provided us proof that commentary, or more simply put words formed into sentences are as powerful as aggressive riffs.  This track not only provides our ears with an emotive commentary which we are to analyze- it also perfectly blends with the rest of the theme/flow of the album. It’s a stimulus. It’ll make you listen. It’ll make you think.

The album closes with “Revive”, a deeply emotive, reflective track bound by an impassioned, melodic tonality. Fast-paced, pitch-bent riffs and licks groove alongside desperate emotionally drenched melodic riffs and overlays and crashing percussion, crafting a conflicting, yet vibrant intensity. Frey unleashes a more serious, despairing, heartfelt force in his raw vocal delivery with each passionate verse. Groovy riffage is layered into tumultuous melodic, gentle overlays and undertones which mirror Frey’s vocal delivery and craft an overall emotionally-drenched, passionate, and invigorating tonality that will pull at your heartstrings.

Overall, My Ransomed Soul has created one of the most engaging albums of this year. Trilateral is the most politically charged album I have heard since Green Day’s 2004 release, American Idiot. The amount of musicianship and technical and creative prowess that My Ransomed Soul has utilized to shape their views into an entire album with a near-seamless flow and unrelenting amount energy is absolutely astounding.  Trilateral is a conversation piece, a commentary, and a wake-up call. It’s the stimulation our ears, our minds, and our generation desperately needs.  Your choice is how you wish to respond to its call. 

9.5/10

For Fans Of: Like Moths to Flames, Prime Meridian, For Today

Katt Hass