ALBUM REVIEW: Are We All Angels – Scowl

April 3, 2025 Sammy Andrews

Are We All Angels meets SCOWL at a point of metamorphosis. Blooming from their hardcore roots, the album sees the group expand their scope. With a drive to delve deeper and use their voice, SCOWL weave through disillusionment, vulnerability, and loss of control, channeling their journey of self-discovery through hypnotic melodies and groove fuelled hooks. Are We All Angels finds SCOWL sharpening their pen, expanding the tapestry of influences they pull from, and ultimately asserting their voice louder than ever.

Special tears open the album with a fierce and striking tenacity. From the offset, Kat Moss’ vocals entrance you into the world of Are We All Angels, offering a more delicate tone to her voice than we’ve heard before. The track also lays bare the album’s willingness to expand and explore new avenues, whilst navigating SCOWL’s place in the hardcore world. Intense drums and fast riffs remain, but as Kat’s entrancing voice melodically sings “you just wanna hear my screams just to feel alive, bring me back to my body” the track strikes at the core of the shift SCOWL are making on Are We All Angels.

This is not to say the album isn’t indebted to their hardcore roots. Kat’s screams on Special alone remain fierce and fuelled with fury in the second verse. But these moments are not at the forefront. Tracks grow out of their hardcore origins, incorporating more pop hooks and alt-rock melodies, twirling and twisting into deeper explorations of where their sound can take them.

SCOWL aren’t shy with speaking out about the alienation that alternative scenes have led them to feel. Fantasy in particular offers a commentary on such an experience. The track pulls you into melodically twisting corners with a brilliant softness that’s offset with gritty guitar hooks and the cathartic building of vocals into a final scream at the tracks close. Dissociation weaves its way through to an emotional explosion, and SCOWL make it known that their purpose is not to people please on Are We All Angels.

Their shift to a more alt-rock space will likely upset their devoted hardcore fans. Yet, it is in the moments that SCOWL channel their previous intensity with this newfound sense of melodic hypnotism that Are We All Angels soars. B.A.B.E opens fast and finds SCOWL displaying their sharp ability to craft a hook with a groove that is still very much rooted in force and grit. Tonight (I’m Afraid) initially slows the pace down, with the drums and guitars working to create a bounce. As the bridge hits, the drums hit a two-step beat and the guitars offer a striking culminating moment, entrancing you deeper into the song with Kat’s screams in the background.

Harnessing their voice, SCOWL devote the album to using it. Whatever pace they pick up, SCOWL ensure that each track is filled with a purpose and a crystal clear idea of what they want to say. At the peak of this intensity, Not Hell, Not Heaven tears out as a powerhouse on the album. Fast, punchy and filled with groove, the track propels forwards in a confrontational blaze. Razor sharp lyricism finds SCOWL aiming and refusing to miss, calling “listen, hear all hell unleashed / that’s the sound of reckoning.” On the softer side of the coin, Let You Down opens with gentle sounds of nature and bird song calling out, only to then come out swinging with an incredibly punchy hook. Its chorus is hypnotic and the lyrics “I needed to let you down” strike through as culminating moments of SCOWL’s self-discovery journey.

With so much of the album soaring out, there are tracks that get lost amongst the noise. Tracks like Suffer The Fool (How High Are You?) are incredibly catchy and offer intriguing twists to their melodies that are unique and captivating. But, they ultimately lose themselves amongst the rest of the album’s punch. When SCOWL can balance their new direction into softer melodies with their heavier roots, Are We All Angels grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. But when it doesn’t quite land this, some tracks do fall amidst the rest.

As the title track rolls around, Are We All Angels closes on a philosophical note. Extending their self-discovery out, the track offers one final punch, and ultimately sees SCOWL defining themselves less by their emotions, and more by their actions, closing off their journey with a distinct clarity.

Are We All Angels isn’t a full departure for SCOWL from their grittier, heavier roots. It is instead a metamorphosis of sorts. SCOWL harness their voice and in every corner of the album, find new ways to utilise it. Their pen is, however, sharpest when backed by the weight of their tenacious hardcore influence. When grit meets vulnerability on Are We All Angels, SCOWL soar to new heights. It’s “the sound of reckoning”, and its one that should not go unheard.

Rating: 8/10