Abels Last Stand
Abels Last Stand recently dropped us an email about their new EP, Everything You Ever Knew (Lies Forgotten and Dead) to see what we thought. This 5 piece metal-core act from Stoke have only been going for about 7 months, yet have already managed to craft a 3 track EP. Combining elements of Parkway Drive, Lamb of God and Bring Me The Horizon into their music, these guys could well be a force to look out for – so I thought I’d better check things out!
Opening with title track Everything You Ever Knew (Lies Forgotten and Dead) you’re immediately thrown into a pit of metal goodness, guitars pummeling you from all sides and drums rolling to keep the beat firmly moving along. There’s a real complexity to the music here which turns this from something which could simply be a heavy track into something which is further developed than that, something which is going to appeal to fans of the heavier and softer ends of the spectrum alike. Moving into a chorus full to the brim with soaring vocal lines before ushering in a section of all out rolling double bass and hammering riffs, then an almighty break down – this music doesn’t stick to one idea and then just plod along, it jumps from moment to moment, keeping you guessing all along as to what is going to come next!
At The Sight Of A Mushroom Cloud comes up next, once again launching full tilt into a mix of hammering drums and distorted guitar lines, sod the Lamb Of God reference, go for Devil Driver and you’re getting somewhere closer to the sound these guys have got as this track begins. Breaking everything down into more raw elements, once again this track isn’t content to just create a sound and stick to it, it jumps from fast and hammering to broken down, then back to faster paced stuff, all the time dragging you along and making you get involved. Once again throwing in some more melodic vocals to keep the track moving, this track is probably my personal favourite from the 3 on offer here, there’s just something about it which engages you and makes you want to crank the speakers up as loud as they’ll go.
Finishing the EP with Demon Inside, my statement about these guys being one to watch has never been so true. Fading into being with a lead line before breaking down into a hammering track based around a simple yet effective drum beat, backing everything up with a solid bass line and more of those roaring vocal lines. This track doesn’t just finish the EP, it leaves you guessing as to how they’re going to follow this in the future, showing off their ability to craft tracks which are not only punishingly heavy, but also cleverly put together and crafted. The end result is a track which almost showcases the bands ability, and leaves you safe in the knowledge that this is going to be a band you’re going to be hearing a lot more from!
Metal-Core has always been one of those genres that a lot of bands attempt, but few actually hit the nail on the head, and to an extent I’d say the same about Abels Last Stand. Sure they’ve got heavy, but does this EP show a metal-core band in the making, I’m not sure. There’s elements of post-hardcore, metal-core, metal, sludge and a new genre I have created specifically for the purposes of this review which we will call metaligoodness-core. What I’m getting at is that it’s impossible to put a simplistic tag on this music as there’s more to it than that, there’s so many different elements that you couldn’t just say ‘this is this’, it’s more than that. What I can safely say though is that this is a band you need to hear, so get on it!
To find out more about Abels Last Stand, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with title track Everything You Ever Knew (Lies Forgotten and Dead) you’re immediately thrown into a pit of metal goodness, guitars pummeling you from all sides and drums rolling to keep the beat firmly moving along. There’s a real complexity to the music here which turns this from something which could simply be a heavy track into something which is further developed than that, something which is going to appeal to fans of the heavier and softer ends of the spectrum alike. Moving into a chorus full to the brim with soaring vocal lines before ushering in a section of all out rolling double bass and hammering riffs, then an almighty break down – this music doesn’t stick to one idea and then just plod along, it jumps from moment to moment, keeping you guessing all along as to what is going to come next!
At The Sight Of A Mushroom Cloud comes up next, once again launching full tilt into a mix of hammering drums and distorted guitar lines, sod the Lamb Of God reference, go for Devil Driver and you’re getting somewhere closer to the sound these guys have got as this track begins. Breaking everything down into more raw elements, once again this track isn’t content to just create a sound and stick to it, it jumps from fast and hammering to broken down, then back to faster paced stuff, all the time dragging you along and making you get involved. Once again throwing in some more melodic vocals to keep the track moving, this track is probably my personal favourite from the 3 on offer here, there’s just something about it which engages you and makes you want to crank the speakers up as loud as they’ll go.
Finishing the EP with Demon Inside, my statement about these guys being one to watch has never been so true. Fading into being with a lead line before breaking down into a hammering track based around a simple yet effective drum beat, backing everything up with a solid bass line and more of those roaring vocal lines. This track doesn’t just finish the EP, it leaves you guessing as to how they’re going to follow this in the future, showing off their ability to craft tracks which are not only punishingly heavy, but also cleverly put together and crafted. The end result is a track which almost showcases the bands ability, and leaves you safe in the knowledge that this is going to be a band you’re going to be hearing a lot more from!
Metal-Core has always been one of those genres that a lot of bands attempt, but few actually hit the nail on the head, and to an extent I’d say the same about Abels Last Stand. Sure they’ve got heavy, but does this EP show a metal-core band in the making, I’m not sure. There’s elements of post-hardcore, metal-core, metal, sludge and a new genre I have created specifically for the purposes of this review which we will call metaligoodness-core. What I’m getting at is that it’s impossible to put a simplistic tag on this music as there’s more to it than that, there’s so many different elements that you couldn’t just say ‘this is this’, it’s more than that. What I can safely say though is that this is a band you need to hear, so get on it!
To find out more about Abels Last Stand, check out their Facebook page HERE.