ALBUM REVIEW: Run – Future Palace
German post-hardcore trio FUTURE PALACE have returned with sophomore album Run this week and are ready to show us that they really mean business. Almost everyone appears to be sleeping on this band, despite the fact that they seem to have taken the best parts of all the most successful and popular bands around the world right now. FUTURE PALACE manage to blend the rawness of HOLDING ABSENCE and WHILE SHE SLEEPS with their brutally honest lyrics and powerful melodies from vocalist Maria. Her vocals seem to take heavy inspiration from SPIRITBOX’s Courtney LaPlante, switching between brutal gutturals and almost angelic chorus lines flawlessly and with ease. Meanwhile, some of the softer vocal lines are extremely reminiscent of the early days of PVRIS and Lynn Gunn’s vocals.
As an album, Run is full of ups and downs, throwing us from wall to wall as it explores some heavy themes. It tells us what it is like to be part of the aftermath of a toxic relationship, how struggling with your own salvation is only the beginning. The nature of the music itself almost perfectly narrates the disorientation many feel in these situations and only enhances the metaphor-laden lyrics and subject matter.
Flames is a standout track, showcasing all the different elements that make this band great in one neat little four-minute package. It begins with a haunting guitar line, easing us in before we are assaulted by a thundering, bouncing guitar riff and Maria’s brutal and aggressive vocals. The band have capitalised on the fact that heavy female vocals are extremely popular right now, with bands like JINJER leading the charge, and should be getting the same level of recognition. Songs like Flames belong on the main stage at a festival, with an enthusiastic and energetic crowd to spur them on – this band truly belong in bigger and better places and are quickly getting there.
FUTURE PALACE seem to take inspiration from the most distinctive (or best, depending on how you view them) parts of a lot of different bands; they take the spoken word and rap metal vocal style in verses from bands like LINKIN PARK and PAPA ROACH, while their style of melodic metal is reminiscent of ARCH ENEMY. Though they have blended so many different subgenres together with this release, the band have managed to do so seamlessly and have developed their style immensely from their electronic-laden debut album Escape. While it was a good release, this one is even better and has proved that the band’s sound has matured along with them.
FUTURE PALACE are extremely lucky to be a part of the fertile breeding ground of post-hardcore right now. Previously mentioned bands like HOLDING ABSENCE and SPIRITBOX gain nothing but success and recognition and this is something that will no doubt be in the not so distant future for FUTURE PALACE. This extremely vulnerable record is just stunning and will no doubt be the catapult for FUTURE PALACE to achieve greater things.
Rating: 8/10
Run is out now via Arising Empire.
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