In Archives

Traitors EP

Written by: PP on 14/12/2011 02:10:40

UK's surging hardcore scene strikes again with another decent addition in the form of In Archives from Peterborough. They combine together elements from post-hardcore and the more ferocious end of metalcore for a reasonably good expression that will require some fine tuning in the future, but is an entirely acceptable showcase for the potential that lies in the band who are just releasing their debut EP "Traitors" here.

The band's focal point is their vocalist, whose menacing howls lie somewhere between the monotonous roar of Sam Carter from Architects and the more nuanced scream of Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. It's the sort of scream that makes you wonder how badly his vocal chords are suffering, and how long he can keep up before having to do a Matt Heafy or Matt Tuck (Trivium and BFMV respectively) and stick to cleaner singing style instead. But for the time being, it's awesome, because it makes the listener feel like the vocals are actually howls of unbearable pain from a torture chamber somewhere deep at the heart of Damascus.

These are contrasted with your standard emo post-hardcore cleans that push In Archives a little bit too far into cliché territory for my liking. There are thousands of bands doing the clean/harsh dynamic; we've seen how successful Architects became with Sam Carter's vocal style so why should they not follow a similar path? As for the instrumentals, the band does a good job avoiding stock metalcore riffing, instead using ambience (it's the new 'in' thing to do in UK, similar to bands like While She Sleeps) and groovy guitars to provide a backbone for their expression. Still, "Traitors" EP is very much a debut record. It's a very rough and unpolished look at a band that has potential, but hasn't quite reached it just yet.

Download: Embrace The Tide, Traitors
For the fans of: Architects, Giants, Feed The Rhino, UK hardcore
Listen: Myspace

Release date 03.10.2011
Self-Released

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