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Buried In Verona

Vultures Above, Lions Below

Written by: MAK on 15/12/2015 19:30:01

When I first heard Aussie metalcore outfit Buried In Verona, it was back in 2012 and they had just released their third album “Notorious”. I listened to it and initially wrote the Sydney lads off as a less impressive Emmure, full of crushing breakdowns and not a lot else to captivate me. Three years later comes the release of their fifth album “Vultures Above, Lions Below”, which to my surprise is a hell of a lot easier on the ears.

Straight away there is an ambient start to the album, the sounds of chimes, bird noises of tweets and calls echo and the tings of cymbals build up some suspense. Gang vocals trigger an anthemic chant which continues to build the anticipation that something big is coming. Before long the anthemic chants lead to one big shout, followed shortly by the breakdowns that were obviously coming yet still satisfy once they drop. This can be taken as a sign that Buried In Verona haven’t completely dropped the heaviness that I was expecting from them, but there is still a strong sense of maturity in their sound. Buried In Verona have grown from the one-dimensional metalcore on “Notorious” and it’s 2013 follow-up “Faceless” to a kind of anthemic metal, venturing into an extremely “Sempiternal” style of album with synths that flow throughout “Vultures Above, Lions Below”.

Richie Newmans’s clean vocals remind me of Chester Bennington’s raspy ballad-like singing in some verses, especially in “Dig Me Out” and “Hurricane”. Newman’s voice combined with Brett Andersons harsh shouts are reminiscent of the combination provided by both Kyle Erich and Jake Taylor over the last few In Hearts Wake albums. Similar in a way that the cleans are catchy and that the shouts are amongst the heaviest in metalcore. What is great is that the Sydney men use these talents in a manner to mix up the mood of the album. “Separation” for one is a nonstop pit starter which is dominated by Anderson's angry harsh vocals. Yet its follow-up “Can’t Be Afraid” is an angst-ridden rock ballad full of anthemic singing pieces and a ridiculous amount of soothing ambiance.

I’m almost blown away at how much of an improvement “Vultures Above, Lions Below” really is compared to its two predecessors. This latest release is actually enjoyable to listen to several times over in a row without getting bored of it quickly. Taking a new approach can alienate old fans who don’t like change, but Buried In Verona’s addition of influences in the likes of nu metal, metallic hardcore and anthemic rock is quite possibly the best decision the band have made in years.

Download: Separation, Vultures Above, Hurricane
For The Fans Of: In Hearts Wake, Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, Northlane, While She Sleeps
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 07.08.2015
UNFD / Rise Records