ALBUM REVIEW: Archetypes Collide – Archetypes Collide
Modern metalcore certainly has its archetypes; bands seem stuck on aping one of two bands, with very few exceptions, and it seemingly has to be one or the other. Enter ARCHETYPES COLLIDE, the Arizonan outfit whose name is perhaps a little too on the nose. They gathered a fanbase from a collection of singles and EPs, one of whom was BEARTOOTH bassist Oshie Bichar, who took them under his wing, and on their self-titled debut album, they do indeed collide those archetypes, with a blend of BRING ME THE HORIZON, the aforementioned BEARTOOTH, as well bits of LINKIN PARK. Fortunately, it (mostly) works and gives them an identity that’s a mishmash of all their influences – understandable for a debut – without skewing too close to an influence. Mostly.
Straight off the bat, Parasite is a high-octane thrill-ride that opens with those LP-esque electronic drums you’d hear perhaps on Meteora, but the riff that kicks in is pure BEARTOOTH in its churn and hooky nature. The chorus is an immediate earworm, which is something the band show a knack for in spades across the album, and there’s the expected mix of cleaner sung vocals and screams split roughly evenly between the verses and chorus.
Fade Away kicks things into a much higher, more promising gear; as it swirls in quietly there’s hints of the more emo-tinged metalcore we’re seeing revived, and the falsetto in the chorus is a creative gambit that pays off massively as vocalist Kyle Pastor nails it with ease. Sadly, Counterfeit comes off as not much more than a BEARTOOTH B-side, and that’s something that’s repeated across a few songs; perhaps due to Bichar’s management. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it means you’ll be sat there expecting Bad Listener or Beaten In Lips to play next and it obviously doesn’t.
There’s some slack to be cut as most bands do sound a little more like their influences on debuts, especially in a genre like metalcore where its scene leaders cast such long shadows. But, when songs like Counterfeit or My Own Device feature such uncanny vocal melody resemblances it’s difficult to ignore, although the latter does feature some retro synths backing that are a real treat to hear. Similarly, although Destiny skews into radio-friendly rock territory in its chorus, the bell chiming every few phrases is a small moment of emphasis that helps it stand out a bit more.
It really does make Archetypes Collide a mixed bag and makes the band name and album title ring more than a little too close to home. ARCHETYPES COLLIDE are absolutely a promising band; they’ve got a knack for big riffs, hard breakdowns and a vocalist who can nail a decent falsetto and knows not to overuse it. What they’ve also got is too many songs that sound like their manager’s band, and the sooner they stop sounding too much like their peers or forebears and truly hone in on melding their influences together – because when it works, it really does work – the better.
Rating: 6/10
Archetypes Collide is set for release on March 31st via Fearless Records.
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