Rockfreaks.net

Bloom

Maybe In Another Life

Written by: PP on 04/05/2024 14:10:25

I'm not sure what they put into the water down under, but Australia tends to deliver excellent outfits within the metalcore/post-hardcore universe. Their latest offering is Bloom out of Sydney, whose debut album "Maybe In Another Life" takes you back to the mid-2000s with its racy metalcore leads and constant clean/scream dynamics.

Now, the record might have you fooled on its title track "Maybe In Another Life" where they blast open the gates with Shai Hulud-style aggression. We're talking slaying riffs, relentless tempo, and ravaging screams that stylistically place the band right next to bands like As I Lay Dying and The Devil Wears Prada (in their early works). Later, it becomes clear Bloom isn't merely satisfied with replicating the classic metalcore era, because that would result in a derivative or possibly even generic release. Instead, they increase the usage of post-hardcore style clean vocals and ambient elements, resulting in a beautiful segment towards the end of the album.

Take "Carve Yourself Into My Lungs", for example. It is a slower, and more atmospheric piece with expansive lingering guitar melodies and plenty of clean/scream dynamics. It leads directly into the emotionally charged "You & I", which is similarly slow and more focused on the cleans rather than the screams. It's a beautiful song that focuses on ambiance without sacrificing power, drawing direct parallels to Counterparts. Right afterward, "Fragments Of A Dream" relies on soaring cleans to climax a powerful and emotionally strong piece of metalcore/post-hardcore. It offers the right balance between the melancholic and the introspective that feels quintessential to the genre and what Bloom is trying to do here.

That said, the other half of the record does feature cuts that could be straight out of any metalcore release circa 2008. "Siren Song", for instance, is muscular and aggressive, complete with pummeling riffs and a standard clean vocal chorus. Think old school While She Sleeps, Architects, Of Mice & Men, etc. Here, it's considerably more difficult to distinguish Bloom from similar-sounding bands.

Thus the tracks that load up on atmospherics are where Bloom should aim towards in the future. Here, the buildups and lingering melodies feel ambitious and grand, resulting in some of the best metalcore you'll hear this year. If only that were the focus throughout the record.

Download: You & I, Carve Yourself Into My Lungs, Fragments Of A Dream, Maybe In Another Life
For the fans of: Counterparts, The Devil Wears Prada, Casey, As I Lay Dying, For The Fallen Dreams, Boundaries, Gwen Stacy
Listen: Facebook

Release date 16.02.2024
Pure Noise Records