ALBUM REVIEW: I Want It To End – The Erkonauts

There aren’t many metalheads whose ears wouldn’t at least prick at the mention of a band billed as a combination of GOJIRA and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. In the case of THE ERKONAUTS, there isn’t really any other way to describe them. The Swiss quartet has been fusing progressive metal ideas with a bouncy punky ferocity since their 2016 debut, I Did Something Bad. I Shall Forgive followed a year later to further critical acclaim. Now, after three years, the band return with their third album, I Want It To End.

At the heart of all THE ERKONAUTS‘ releases sit attention grabbing performances from singer/bassist Ales Campanelli. I Want It To End is no different. He makes his presence felt instantly with the first of many jaw dropping slapped bass lines on opening track War Flamingoes. Campanelli‘s vocals are equally impressive, firmly bringing to mind GOJIRA‘s Joe Duplantier. The song itself is an early highlight. It has tonnes of bounce, and sees the entire band show off their technical proficiency.

The following tracks give an exciting tour of exactly what THE ERKONAUTS can do. The Future Ends With You has a bouncy energy and catchiness instantly reminiscent of SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Campanelli‘s almost percussive bass playing and the song’s nu-metal-esque breakdown could even draw KORN comparisons. The next track, Five Orange Seeds, shows another side to the band. It’s more expansive than the first two tracks, and Campanelli‘s vocals take a cleaner turn at points. The song kicks off a run of more mid-tempoed tracks, with The Cult Of The Burning Star‘s driving tom-led verses drawing obvious comparisons to TOOL, and It Could Be Over Soon showing a more brooding side to the band.

At this point the listener is a little over halfway through the album, and while none of the songs so far are bad, it’s definitely here where I Want It To End hits it’s peak. Sixth track Losing Is The First Step opens with yet another mind-blowing slapped bass line. It then erupts into what is best described as the sound of STATIC-X having a fight with GOJIRA. The song also features one of the album’s several impressive Kerry King-esque solos from lead guitarist Fred Di Limoncelli. It’s catchy, bouncy, and another showcase of THE ERKONAUTS‘ impressive musical skill.

Next track The Sun is another swung rager and sees the band draw their strongest GOJIRA comparisons yet. After this, THE ERKONAUTS deliver what is arguably the best song on the record, eighth track Caravaggio. While It Could Be Over Soon hinted at the band’s broodier capabilities, Caravaggio sees them perfect it. The band keep things pretty mellow, while still ominous and driving, for much of the first half of the song. This broodiness serves to make the hauntingly anthemic choruses and technical riffing which follow it hit even harder. It’s a powerful, weighty song which shows off the full extent of the band’s command of dynamics and songcraft.

In a way, Caravaggio does highlight one criticism of I Want It To End. The song very much feels like it should have been the closing track. As a result, while still an exciting piece, the thrashy rager The Curse Of Scotland which follows it feels oddly placed. It would have arguably worked better to break up the more mid-paced run of tracks from Five Orange Seeds to It Could Be Over Soon. This isn’t a huge problem, but it does feel like a bit of a waste to have the track sit where it does.

Unlike many progressive metal albums of today, THE ERKONAUTS comfortably avoid outstaying their welcome on I Want It To End. At a little over 38 minutes, the album feels like a perfect length for the amount of ideas it contains. It also marks enough of a progression from previous releases to keep long-time fans of the band interested. Finally, in a world where so many ‘progressive’ bands fall into the trap of musical showmanship, it’s deeply refreshing to hear a group who never lose sight of the song, and maintain an impressive standard of technicality at the same time.

Rating: 8/10

I Want It To End is out now via self-release.

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