ALBUM REVIEW: The Host – Acres
British metalcore band, ACRES, are back with their highly anticipated third album The Host. Since the release of their debut record, Lonely World, in 2019, the quartet have built recognition in bringing together heavy riffs and rough vocals with pop melodies and clean harmonies, a combination of elements that, on paper, shouldn’t work, but just do. For this album, they wanted to elevate what they have already done to the next level, and to do that they bought in Landon Tewers (THE PLOT IN YOU), something they said expanded their sonic palette.
So, with that in mind, does the record live up to our high expectations? For the most part, yes. Opening the album is instrumental track Bloodlust, an electronic rock song that in certain parts brings in elements of EDM, feeling very much the love child between BAD OMENS’ What do you want from me? and BRING ME THE HORIZON’s Nihilist Blues. Much like any metalcore or EDM song, you’re sat waiting for the drop, the payoff that you know during any live performance will set the crowd off, yet it never quite arrives. But what we do get is a distorted, heavy guitar that creates some truly satisfying riffs, nicely setting the scene for what we’re about to experience with the remaining six songs.
What ACRES are certainly good at is creating songs that, on the one hand, are filled with heavier elements with the incorporation of genres relating to metalcore, hard rock and industrial, complete with satisfying rough vocals, yet these factors are then juxtaposed with pop melodies, electronic breakdowns, and moments of stunning harmonies whether through the vocals or the gentle synths.
Having said that, there are some songs that, unfortunately, stutter amongst other glowing examples, such as Your Goodbye, an alternative rock track with electronic pop melodies that you can tell is meant to make you feel powerful, but it ends up becoming repetitive and uninteresting; and Around Again, the closing track of the album that feels a little out of place on the album given it’s slow, gentle nature with twinkly sounds, granted a distorted industrial guitar makes a welcome appearance on the track, you can’t help but feel that the song, while pretty, would thrive on a separate album, or maybe ACRES could have included other songs of a similar nature so it wouldn’t stick out as much.
Yet it doesn’t take away from some stunning songs which included the industrial heavy Not So Different with its distorted guitar, yet also featuring some beautiful melodies and harmonies within the chorus; Built To Bleed that opens with a countdown that kicks off a stunning breakdown of electronic metalcore with riffs you can sink your teeth into; and Steal The Light that brings in a darker version of drum and bass before shifting into a song that perfectly represents the current wave of modern metalcore bands like CATCH YOUR BREATH and fellow Brits CASKETS. The Host is a decent release from a fast-rising heavy band within a genre that’s fast losing its limitations in terms of what sounds and styles can be used.
Rating: 7/10
The Host is out now via Solid State Records.
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