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Palm Reader

Beside The Ones We Love

Written by: PP on 27/07/2015 22:19:44

A new core behemoth is brewing in Woking, UK in the form of Palm Reader, whose sophomore album "Beside The Ones We Love" is likely to cause all sorts of havoc in pits across Europe in the coming years. We're talking of a highly experimental and highly technical version of the classic dissonance/discordance formula with stop/start rhythms that were championed by Botch back in the day, and since then carried forward by the likes of Norma Jean and The Chariot among others.

Amongst the mathcore chaos are insane time signatures that instantly bring to mind the intricacies of The Dillinger Escape Plan, much like their vocalist whose semi-clean, scratched delivery that breaks into all-out tearing screams is very, very similar to Greg Puciato's style. "Stacks" is an album highlight with its subtle melody lines that bring contrast to the otherwise frenetic soundscape. Likewise, "Travelled Paths" is notable because pushes the vocals to the background for an echo-laden experimental soundscape where guitars for once take a loftier and lighter approach than the chaotic every direction shredding audible on the rest of the album. But it's just a moment's worth of breathing room before "Stone's Blood" decimates the listener in best Norma Jean / The Chariot style. Here, the haunting semi-clean melodies return once again to elevate the track as one of the better ones on the record. "Resolution" takes a distinctly more black metal approach to the formula with its tremolo riffs that also bring in post-metal elements, but it doesn't take long until the structure is broken down into chaotic breakdowns and uncompromising screaming moments later.

While "Beside The Ones We Love" is a pretty good effort overall, it's nevertheless clear that something is missing when comparing the band to the other artists mentioned in this review. It's neither as crazy as TDEP nor as well-written as Norma Jean nor as unpredictable and jammed with horror-chords as The Chariot's efforts. Still, fans of mathcore-oriented chaos should be taking a liking to this one.

Download: I Watch The Fire Chase My Tongue, Pedant, Stacks, Stone's Blood
For the fans of: The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Chariot, Norma Jean, Botch
Listen: Facebook

Release date 06.04.2015
In At The Deep End Records