ALBUM REVIEW: PHASES – October Ends
Metalcore outfit OCTOBER ENDS have come a long way since their initial formation in 2014. The British/Greek quintet became a sensation very quickly during the trials and tribulations of the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing their debut studio album Zodiac, which blasted them into the limelight. With over 10 million streams alone of their debut, there is a lot riding on their next. PHASES is their upcoming second album, and it seeks to show the band in a brighter light than ever before.
OCTOBER ENDS have revealed four brand new singles in the lead up to the release: Play Time, Destroy Us All, Of Stars and Call Me Before I’m Dead featuring KID BOOKIE. Their lyrical content comes from a very personal and honest place, with relationships, addiction and pop culture being at the helm. This is ultimately a version of the band that hasn’t been seen before and we couldn’t be more excited. The opening track is Destroy Us All, which instantly hooks the listener in with an enticing, almost space-like instrumental before we are treated to some fantastic vocals from the band’s three vocalists Nick Thurl Mavromatis, George Mavridis and Michael Charlton. The way that they leap between their unclean and clean vocal lines is truly amazing. Whilst the chorus is pretty memorable and catchy, the song ends up getting a little stale by the end.
Call Me Before I’m Dead features a collaboration with South East London-born rapper KID BOOKIE. The opening riff would be fitting on a future EMMURE record, however OCTOBER ENDS successfully create their own sound here with the use of electronic synthesisers, not to mention the constant mix of clean and unclean vocals. Bookie‘s segment adds further interest, bringing an element to the song which is not too dissimilar to bands like VALUES.
R3kt is up next, which begins with another enticingly heavy metalcore riff. It evolves in just the way you would expect until more rap style vocals are introduced. This makes the song have more of an impact than we originally thought. Unfortunately, the chorus is a little weak, even nearing the end – a little disappointing to say the least. Of Stars makes full use of the electronic elements heard earlier in the release. Whilst the transition between the remarkable clean and unclean vocals is not to be forgotten here, this is ultimately just another track that sounds pretty much like all the others. Play Time introduces us to some almost trap-like influences, with further rap vocals making this song what it is. Saying this, the song is similar to the last in terms of memorability.
Hero draws us in right away with a catchy vocal hook, as well as the use of additional electronic like influences featured within the production. This is another song where the rap like vocals are really effective, sounding similar to rappers such as JUICE WRLD in the process. Alive is next and features more clean vocals than the majority of tracks, making a surprising but much-needed change at this point in the release. At this stage, there is no denying that OCTOBER ENDS are a very talented group of professional musicians. One More Round kicks things off with some further EMMURE-esque instrumentals, before some Chris Motionless style vocals throw us off kilter. This is undoubtedly one of the heavier tracks on the entire release, which works in the band’s favour. Lay Here continues on with the trap style sound of Play Time, which is so effective. Additionally, the chorus gets stuck in your head so easily, which is something that we wish had happened before now. The closer is Down Master, which is a really raw and honest track about mental health. The chorus melody is also incredibly catchy, which is most definitely an added bonus.
Whilst PHASES is certainly not a bad album, it’s not the best. In some ways, you can tell that this is only the band’s second release. This body of work contains a lot of the right elements that could have made this album amazing. The musicianship is truly outstanding throughout the release, not to mention some of the chorus melodies. However, one key fundamental just isn’t there: memorability. By the end of PHASES, it feels as though the majority of the tracks sounded identical to one another. OCTOBER ENDS need to work on this aspect for their next record to be able to reach their full potential.
Rating: 6/10
PHASES is set for release on October 28th via UNFD.
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