Gideon

Calloused

Written by: MBC on 18/12/2014 23:48:40

American metal/hardcore label Facedown Records has had a great year in 2014 with some strong album releases. Among these is one of the last releases of the year from the label; the third full length from Alabama-based hardcore band Gideon. On this new record, the band continues to carry the melodic hardcore torch that they have since their beginning. Their last release “Milestone” from 2012 was an amazing album that outstandingly combined passion and ruthless aggression with a strong sense of melody. Gideon continues this approach on “Calloused” with even more emphasis put on the melodic aspect.

By no means is Gideon a very technical band and most of the time the songs are built around simple and melodic riffs, two-step and breakdowns. But they sure as hell know how to put together some effective and hard-hitting hardcore songs such as “Savage” and “Expose” which are no holds barred bursts of energy that are sure to get the blood pumping. At other times they slow down the tempo into more of a heavy groove such as on “Survive” which features a strong guest vocal performance by Caleb Shomo of Beartooth. “The Pulse” is a calm and soothing instrumental track that works well as a break from the harder songs and shows the diversity in the band’s arsenal. Gideon are excellent song writers that know how to successfully give balance to these different elements.

As usual vocalist Daniel McWhorter gives an explosive performance with personal lyrics about perseverance and battling inner demons delivered through his brutal, yet clear mid-range shout. His style is similar for instance to that of Jonathan Vigil of The Ghost Inside which is a perfect fit for Gideon’s music as well. However, this is without a doubt the album in the band’s career that features the most moments with clean vocals, as they are present in several songs throughout the album. This is a rather big change from “Milestone” which hardly featured any clean vocal parts. This is not detrimental, but some of the empowering aggression from that album is lost in this new direction. Most often the cleans are good, but at times they seem a little contrived. Kudos to Gideon for trying to expand their songwriting while staying true to their core sound, but this feels like a small step backwards for the band.

Gideon are on top of their game when they focus on bringing meaty, punishing hardcore with McWhorter in front screaming his lungs out, and luckily there is still plenty of that on this new album. “Calloused” does not quite reach the same level as “Milestone”, but is not too far behind and overall this is another great album from Gideon.

Download: Calloused, Savage, Survive, Expose, The Limit
For the fans of: Your Memorial, The Ghost Inside, Colossus, Stick To Your Guns, MyChildren MyBride
Listen: Facebook

Release date 14.10.2014
Facedown

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