ALBUM REVIEW: The Shock Doctrine – COPE

With British hardcore and metalcore currently doing particularly well at the moment, you need to do quite a lot to stand out from amongst the pack. From bands like WHILE SHE SLEEPS, BURY TOMORROW and ARCHITECTS all ruling from the top and groups from the likes of MALEVOLENCE and BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL filling out the scene with proper muscle, it’s safe to say the scene as a whole is stronger now than it has ever been. BLOOD YOUTH are pulling up a new crop of metalcore heroes as well, flanked by HIGHER POWER and now, potentially, COPE as well if this debut record is anything to go by. 

COPE’s sound is a familiar one, with the screamed vocals over that groovy hardcore riffings that has done the aforementioned BLOOD YOUTH so well over their quick and fast career rise making up the bulk of their Shock Doctrine debut. Life in 3D doesn’t leave much room for preparation as the d-beats and rumbling bass hits hard with the impassioned vocals screaming down your face. The song has a strong bounce and conjures memories of YOUR DEMISE at their peak when the mix is just right. The band’s self proclaimed ‘heavy punk’ logo is a pretty pretentious way of calling this hardcore, but if it distinguishes the band from the rest of the pack, it can’t be that bad a thing. 

With that said, there is a refreshing sense of classic punk anger throughout The Shock Doctrine. And even if the Territory Missing interlude track feels like a preachy cheap shot and a bit of a wasted slot on the record, COPE scream enough about our inherent need for attention via a growing societal addiction to online media to prove their finger is at least on the pulse. It comes together really well in the closing Influenza, with the lyrics and song writing coming together into an ending that hits just the right notes to really leave an impact. 

There is a good flow and feel to the record as it progresses, with sticks of mosh pit dynamite in tracks like I’m Good, Jack next to more anthemic crowd pleasers like Gold. Each variant of the COPE sound does really well to keep the attention of the listener, with a blueprint like this hosting the potential to fall into every classic metalcore trope that exists. And whilst it would be disingenuous to say they avoid that entirely, instead, COPE manages the melodic choruses with a robust surrounding structure of satisfying bass lines and breakdowns that will try to knock your teeth loose. It’s a dynamic combination that does well to remind us why this sound once ruled the world back in the 2000’s. COPE don’t quite do enough here to fully assert themselves as the newest and hottest property on the scene, but there is enough of a spark here to at least pay attention to them. 

Bursting forth onto a scene that is already bustling with globally revered talent, COPE needed something that was good enough to turn heads and keep their attention on them. Riding the successful sound of their contemporaries but working it with care and precision, COPE have a strong debut in The Shock Doctrine that proves them to be a talent worth paying attention to, despite the short falls that come throughout the record. This is a solid platform to build off of and it does well to excite for the potential of lockdown lifting and COPE bringing these songs to the live stage. 

Rating: 7/10

The Shock Doctrine is out now via self-release.

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