ALBUM REVIEW: Liminal – Avralize

Rising metalcore powerhouse, AVRALIZE are back with their newest record, Liminal. A follow-up to their debut record, Freaks, the German quartet have already made their mark with their take on metalcore meets electronic music, following the steps of fellow rock heavyweights that refuse to follow rules and limitations like NORTHLANE and BRING ME THE HORIZON.

To them, their music is a sonic rebellion that represents the misfits and anyone that feels misunderstood, an emotion captured in a record that goes in many chaotic, yet brilliant, directions. Admittedly, the album starts on a rather strange note when we open with medicine where the first thing we hear is the click of a start button for a cassette player where an upbeat jingle begins to play. Metalcore then comes in a composition that matches said jingle’s tone in a way that is interesting albeit a little weird. For a minute you’re sat there wondering what the hell is going on but then you notice something: it grows on you. And you also begin to pay attention to the melodic nature of the chorus.

Yet before we can properly settle in for the next song, we are introduced to the first of four interludes that experiments with a distorted version of electronic dance music. One could say that they act as mini breathers for the chaotic nature of the record, but even they share the same erratic patterns. Maybe it’s more just a little test to keep you on your toes.

The point that we’re trying to make here is that there no simple explanation or summary with as to what you will experience from start to finish. Sure, we could say each song somehow blends elements of metalcore, industrial and classic rock with genres relating to electronic music, including dance, pop, drum and bass, and even funk, but there’s still so much more to it than that. So instead of trying to fully describe what you can expect, we’ll go through some of the highlights on the album.

First off is cyanide, a pop meets metal meets funk fusion that draws some comparison to DON BROCO; close to you, a song that starts out with bittersweet vibes before a blend of metalcore and EDM comes in that somehow manages to stay gentle with some lo-fi like beats brought in before experiencing a tone shift when classic rock riffs come in; and like a boomerang that we can imagine will become a fan favourite and one to become a must to hear in a live setting with melodic metalcore breakdowns meeting high energy beats. AVRALIZE have created something that goes beyond what someone might expect when they hear the term ‘modern metalcore’.

Rating: 7/10

Liminal is out now via Arising Empire.

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