ALBUM REVIEW: Epiphany – Napoleon
Imagine ARCHITECTS and AS IT IS going out on the town together. Exeter trio NAPOLEON are the perfect interpretation of the intensity of metalcore meeting the contagion of melodic hardcore while passing the quirkiness of pop punk on the way.
From the former voice of CLIMATES, NAPOLEON’s pioneering debut Newborn Mind two years ago set the bar high. However, second full-length Epiphany further explores the relationship between two polarising genres in stunning detail, never failing to sandwich in a glittering riff wherever necessary. As if their signing to Basick Records wasn’t enough indication of their potential, to think this album is the work of three men is a testament to the sheer talent of this line-up and their ability to knock both niche’s heads together and create something no less than extraordinary.
The eccentric Godspeed sets the tone for an album of exuberant metalcore with its tricksy rhythm, like TRIVIUM’s weirder and ever so slightly more optimistic brother. The phenomenally infectious title track Epiphany shines blindingly above the rest, with its bright pop punk rhythm swirling into the show-stopping noodling of Decay To Create; axeman Sam Osborn’s mastery is produced to perfection and never once overworked. Before long, the bleak instrumentals and empowered lyrical lean of Zeitgeist demonstrate a songwriting diversity few metalcore bands have grasped in recent years.
“I’ll go where the wind blows,” cries the determined force of nature Fantasist. Frontman Wesley Thompson’s tireless lungs belt out Ignite and the beautiful cleans of Dream Sequence effortlessly, pushing himself to each extreme as if he was born for it. The dual vocal onslaught of Above & Below shows Thompson at his finest, a contest between screams and cleans that ends in an even draw but if this is what heaven and hell sound like together, the more the merrier.
Yelling into the abyss, Diamond In The Rough shows NAPOLEON at their heaviest, fuelled by an authentic, palpable rage that reaches out through the speakers. “You don’t have to run and hide” from Living Ghost, with its headbang-worthy tempo from bassist Jacob Brelsford that ticks every metalcore box imaginable. Ultimately, album closer Dream Sequence is the hidden gem that ascends this album to cloud nine, astoundingly produced with an unexpected yet hauntingly beautiful instrumental close – if this were the only track on Epiphany, it would still be flawless.
A gorgeous collection of ten versatile shows of unstoppable force, this stellar record is an Epiphany of its own; metalcore is in perfectly safe hands with NAPOLEON at the helm.
Rating: 9/10
Epiphany is out now via Basick Records.
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