ALBUM REVIEW: Guided – Confessions Of A Traitor

As CONFESSIONS OF A TRAITOR approach the time in their career where it starts to become a case of ‘now or never’, you’d understand if their was an air of caution in the bands bones when it came to the approach of new record Guided. Having been in and around the scene of metalcore for half a decade now without ever really leaving a mark on the genre – perhaps a step into a more broadened scope of alternative music would have been tempting.

If anything though, the five piece have doubled down on their metalcore tropes. And in an unexpected twist of fate, the quintet have hand crafted their finest work to date. Instead of flirting with their potential, which was such a prominent theme on predecessor effort Illuminate, Guided finds a band that certainly haven’t reinvented their wheel, but by the same token have discovered the best elements of themselves and captured the energy in a zenith of metal which will slot ideally into the tastes of fans of prime, early 2010 starlets MEMPHIS MAY FIRE, WE CAME AS ROMANS, and OF MICE & MEN.

Outside of the overly sincere and misplaced spoken word infringements on Rai and Early Hours this is a record that takes itself seriously, and makes itself accessible to its target audience with a laser focus. The melodic tendencies of Ocean Air is as much a nod to THE AMITY AFFLICTION as it is to WAGE WAR, especially when vocalist Stephen MacConville chucks in a “BLEGH!” for good measure – this is a true representation of modern metalcore.

Even though when you boil this album down to its remains, you won’t find a record that leaps into progressive areas, or even one that strays from a thematic plan, it’s forgivable, because for the most part that’s Guided‘s greatest charm. Outright metalcore tracks like Churchill, White Wale, and Twelve are just what the doctor ordered for this scene: ravaging, guitar lead beckons of force with cymbal attacks in all the right areas from drummer Sebastian Olrog.

Since WAGE WAR have taken steps into becoming a more progressive brand of rock – there appears to be a gap in the market for a band to take the mantle for their previous intensity based collisions of melodic, and heavy metal. CONFESSIONS OF A TRAITOR don’t appear ready made to fit that mould just yet – as tracks like Design Me expose the quintet for struggling to land on a real hook, but Guided is most definitely a move in the right direction.

In a time where it was starting to become increasingly important for CONFESSIONS OF A TRAITOR to show their potential in more ways than just an occasional flicker, Guided is a record that remains particularly solid throughout its run-time. Breakdowns, punishing rhythms, and violent vocals – this is a metalcore tick box of a record that finally shows that this band are capable of potentially being a difference maker in their landscape.

Rating: 7/10

Guided is set for release October 18th via Sliptrick Records. 

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