Lifelines

In Presents Wake

Written by: JWM on 13/09/2013 11:03:29

From the start of the opening track "Skyscrapers" you can tell that Glasgow-based metalcore band Lifelines have some shameless melodies at their disposal. "In Presents Wake" as an EP is absolutely riddled with these, not to mention enough mosh worthy breaks to make them a plausibly fun band to see live. It's definitely a strong point of Lifelines that they focus more on breaks rather than breakdowns, a clear reminder that it is possible to mosh to something that isn't mini-gun breakdowns. (see: Suicide Silence's back catalogue)

The use of well thought out melodies to calm the aggression of Paul Bone's screams are quite welcome; but I do feel that this band is caught in the common crisis of the 'clean singer' in a melodic metal band. "Better Left Unsaid" is a short but promising track. It's soft chords and studio-tricked out drums uplift you and prepare your senses for a brilliant piece of melodic metal, and that is exactly what you get with its intricate and beautiful melody. But what's best about the song is that they don't throw those 'clean' vocals in to support it, they let the instruments give you the contrast. It's definitely the more interesting and more worthwhile approach.

High-pitched screams, technical guitars with breakdowns, galloping drum beats and a lot of minor chords give the a melodic, uplifting feeling during the choruses and breaks. I am not going to sugar coat it though, "In Presents Wake" is still a very generic EP. Both many readers and I myself know that this "melodic metal with hardcore influences" style of metalcore isn't exactly old. But that's not to say they should be punished for this, it's just that the songwriting needs far more direction and more creativity, while the production can always improve to bring forward those good instruments.

5

Download: Better Left Unsaid; Skyscrapers
For The Fans Of: Misery Signals, August Burns Red, Atreyu
Listen: Lifelines' facebook

Release Date: 18.11.2013
Self-released

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