ELITE : REVIEW
ELITE : REVIEW
As Lions - Selfish Age Better Noise Records | Release Date : 20th January 2017
After a few years in limbo for vocalist Austin Dickinson and guitarists Will Homer and Conor O ’ Keefe in their previous band Rise To Remain , the guys have recruited Stefan Whiting on bass and Dave Fee on drums to form a new metal outfit under the name of As Lions . The guys have enjoyed high profile tours already without even having a release to their name , their debut EP Aftermath came out around the same time they were on a US run with Five Finger Death Punch . All four of those tracks are on Selfish Age which has only come out a few months later , which seems relatively pointless doing the EP in the first place . The band dish out modern metalcore that sits firmly on the US side of the fence even though they hail from the UK , radio friendly metal / rock songs that meander along . There ’ s some decent riffin ’ in places but the only ‘ great ’ thing about this record is Austin ’ s vocals . ‘ Bury My Dead ’ features a couple blasts of screams and shouts that help elevate the heavy aspect , however this is all very sparse . This isn ’ t a bad record by any means there are some good tracks on here and As Lions definitely sit as hopefuls for their scene but its just unfortunate that their scene is over saturated and honestly on its way down .
Words by Joshua Clarke
Emmure - Look At Yourself Sharptone Records | Release Date : 3rd March 2017
Over the years , Connecticut / New York band Emmure have evolved from a technically impressive deathcore band to almost creating their own brand of heavily djent-filled hardcore Although they receive criticism for being a “ onechord ” band and relying too heavily on the djent sound and beatdowns , there ’ s no denying that they are certainly a fun party band . Their upcoming 7th album , Look At Yourself , helps to secure that particular reputation . Throughout the album , the band mostly keep to their now iconic sound ; a mixture of distorted and dissonant guitars , double pedal drumming , aggressive vocals and general hip hop vibes . Due to djent almost being the metal equivalent of dubstep , there are parts which are reminiscent of the Korn / Skrillex collaboration . In particular , Ice Man Confessions and Derelict contain similar creepy guitar parts and sinister whispered rapping that Korn are known for . The nu metalmeets-hardcore grooves on songs like Shinjuku Masterlord and Major Key Alert conjure up images of hooded students passionately raising their arms to the ceiling in the kitchen of a house party . Even though elements of deathcore , hardcore and even “ mathcore ” creep in on tracks like Turtle In A Hare and Smokey due to slightly more technical musicianship , there surprisingly isn ’ t enough differentiation between tracks and some even feel like unfinished original drafts . From beginning to end , the high energy and aggression on Look At Yourself certainly keep you listening and is perfect for “ throwing shapes ” or lifting weights to . Unfortunately , that may really only work for those who can tolerate this sort of thing as others may find it generally immature due to the lack of deep lyrical content and everything sounding too similar .
Words by Jonathan Miller
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