Heart Of A Coward

Deliverance

Written by: MAK on 11/10/2015 18:52:10

Over the last few years, Milton Keynes five-piece Heart Of A Coward have stormed the UK with their djent influenced metal that has arse kicking effects. The quintet has made its name by touring a hell of a lot and putting out some of the most incredible performances that the modern metal scene has seen in recent times. These performances have made sure that Heart Of A Coward continue to get noticed and even warming up for some of the biggest names in metal, and supporting Machine Head at the end of 2014 certainly has to be a career highlight for the Milton Keynes lads so far.

While the live performances have been incredibly dominant, Heart Of A Coward's releases over the years have left something to be desired in comparison. Not to say that albums like "Severance" or "Hope and Hindrance" were bad albums, far from it considering they contained anthems like "Around A Girl in 80 Days" and "Psychophant" - it just felt like the live performances of these songs were far more impressive than what was on record. It was a whole new monster. This time around it certainly feels like the new release "Deliverance" has the cojones to match that monster. On a whole the atmosphere that lingers on the album is stronger than before, there is a weight that carries Heart Of A Coward forward in a way that previous albums had failed to.

From the start, it is noticeable that the quintet pack a lot more punch with opening track and lead single "Hollow". Heart Of A Coward set the standard here with an absolute belter that delivers crushing riffs throughout and a rather anthemic chorus that will go down well with any audience. When the following song "Miscreation" kicks in you will start to pick up on that atmospheric step up from previous albums. The relentless grooves underneath the impeccable tapping style guitars captivate you as a listener, and the bruising riffs make you want to pull your favourite "that's a bad smell" face in appreciation as well as nodding your head. These are all techniques that show on previous albums, but as they say, practice makes perfect, and Heart Of A Coward have certainly perfected their sound and honed their skills to make them rather distinctive in the metal scene.

The majority of "Deliverance" contains a combination of sheer brutality that comes from metalcore, quality of musicianship that comes from progressive metal influences and a guitar approach that could best be described as djent style riffs. Vocalist Jamie Graham spends more time singing cleanly than he has on any of the previous releases, and his noticeably improved range is welcomed, showing a lot more depth than his distinctive harsh shouts. The singing is certainly a key feature that adds success to the more atmospheric and anthemic feel to "Deliverance". There is no doubt that the album is written to cause chaos in the pits and to keep audiences jumping and losing their minds along with their voices. The energy on this album matches the band's live character perfectly and I'm certainly excited to witness these songs transferred into a live situation.

8

Download: Hollow, Turmoil I - Wolves, Skeletal I - Mourning Repairs
For The Fans Of: Northlane, Structures, Volumes, Carcer City
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 02.10.2015
Century Media Records

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