Lock And Key

The Divide EP

Written by: MBC on 02/10/2014 00:29:58

British hardcore band Lock And Key was formed last year and released its debut EP entitled “The Divide” last month. It is good debut release from this new band who have already been making a name for themselves in their homeland as well as on tours in Europe.

Lock And Key play downtuned, hard-hitting hardcore that should be quite enjoyable to watch at a live show. But there is more to this band than that. Under the thick groove there is an understanding of melodious song writing which make the songs more interesting than the average hardcore band. However, the structure of the EP seems uneven in regards to establishing what kind of band Lock And Key really is. Some songs are built around hard, NY hardcore-esque grooves whereas others are based more within emotional, melodic hardcore. Thus the music really is neither here nor there in terms of establishing the band’s identity, since the hard parts and the melodic parts are not quite balanced.

However, when Lock And Key get it right, they really get it right, for instance on “So Alone”, the best track on the EP, which is a great melodic hardcore song with catchy guitar harmonies and a good performance by frontman Rich Lardner. He has a decent scream, although his delivery is a little monotonous and is somewhat lacking in passion compared for instance to a vocalist like Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside. Lardner, along with the rest of the band, does show a lot of promise however, and he certainly has a strong foundation to become an amazing vocalist.

Ultimately, Lock And Key get caught in between different styles and fail to deliver a truly impressive first release. I have no doubt though that the band will continue to improve and establish themselves better in terms of musical direction. The future seems bright for the young band, if they continue the path laid on “The Divide” and up their game further on their next releases.

Download: Down But Not Out, So Alone, The Border
For the fans of: Gideon, The Ghost Inside, Defeater, Since The Flood
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.09.2014
Small Town Records

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