EP REVIEW: Evolve – Endure The Affliction
We were built to endure some dire situations. Resiliency flows through the veins of each of us. We get hit by a life event, we get back up and once more unto the breach we go. It’s these low points which shape us, form our character. Well versed in this practice, Louisiana-based ENDURE THE AFFLICTION release their new EP, Evolve, this Friday. This evolution takes place over six tracks and asks how you would respond to these adversities. From the depths of addiction and identity crises, to the rage of the year 2020, there is a lot of negativity covered. Marrying this to a fusion of southern rock and metalcore, ENDURE THE AFFLICTION test the strength of the mind with anthemic choruses and punchy riffs.
Pulling from a type of painkiller, Anodyne is an ode to addiction and its underlying mental health issues. Tim Keith (lead vocals) and Deion Lanither (co-vocals/guitar) bounce between growls and cleans of “medication calling me”. Hallmark metalcore riffs bubble beneath desperate verses. This team of chunky riffs and melodies are tight against Kyle Roberts’ drums. With a gut wrenching scream of “misery”, these riffs begin to spiral like an addled mind. Call and response growls read as auditory hallucinations and could have ended the song here. Yet, the ringing interlude which follows speaks of “taking off the mask I wear” in a hospital environment. Imagery of an addict in withdrawal haunts as as Anodyne fades with a scream.
While this fake-out ending worked with the opening track, it becomes a crutch for ENDURE THE AFFLICTION. It’s to signify periods of reflection or realisation for the songs’ protagonists. In parts, it achieves this and forces us to digest what we’ve just heard. By the time third track Identity comes to an end though, this method becomes formulaic. It’s not a sticking point by any means, but can leave the band open to becoming structurally predictable.
What isn’t predictable however is the blending of modern metalcore and traditional heavy metal, resulting in Devil In The Sky. Sat within thick blasts of low-tuned guitars is the imagery of the Devil coming to harvest a corrupt soul. “Will I be lost forever more?” smacks of repentance. As a tight chug begins to separate again, searing locks resemble the sting of fear at the prospect of eternal damnation. This brooding becomes stubborn defiance, Roberts’ double kick hammering at the door of the Devil’s basement.
Evolve becomes an EP of two halves. The first is wonderfully wallowing. Moving into The Fall, we see the wheels wobble slightly. “I suffer at the hands of darkness” pierces through the melancholia. A tale of a soul destroyed by mental health issues, The Fall takes us to the edge and begs to be let go. A juicy but slightly too long transitional riff persuades us to redeem this soul. Vocal melodies mix into heady melodies to stab us in the heart, only for The Reckoning to spit lyrics such as “crying like a punk ass bitch”. For a song which already felt out of place with its punk rock sound and questionable rap section, this becomes their own reckoning.
ENDURE THE AFFLICTION ask us how we would, pardon the play on words, endure our own affliction. How we would evolve from what we’re going through. Recovery is never linear – there are bound to be stumbling blocks, just like the band encountered with The Reckoning. As a whole, Evolve is a solid EP for ENDURE THE AFFLICTION and is a testament to the notion of genre bending actually being a good thing once in a while.
Rating: 7/10
Evolve is set for release on October 15th via self-release.
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