EP REVIEW: Existence In Crisis – Imperial Tide
In a genre that is often bloated and over-saturated it takes a lot to get yourself noticed. You may well have that special something in the music that you make, but it is also imperative that you have the grit and determination to make sure people pay attention. Fortunately for IMPERIAL TIDE they have all of the above and then some and their new extended play Existence In Crisis is a testament to that fact.
The opening track King Of The Gutter kicks things off in exactly the manner you’d expect. A pulverising volley of heavily distorted guitars and perfectly mixed drums pierces through the backing track with vocalist Landon Hill spitting his vocals over the top with a real snarl. Putting the heaviness aside for a moment, we have to take a moment to acknowledge the well-written, infectious melody of the chorus – one that will no-doubt be a sing-along moment when the band drop it into their setlists.
Off The Leash is a song that sounds utterly unhinged. The dual vocal attack coupled with the dissonant guitar lines makes for a chaotic experience, with a breakdown that will undoubtedly leave venues in ruins. There is an aura of creepiness throughout the entire album with the choice of samples, sound effects and vocal delivery which adds a whole different texture to things. Slip is a perfect example of this with its almost nu-metal influenced guitar lines and keys over the top of the drum and bass break in the bridge.
R.A.T is one of the tracks that the band released early and you can see why. It has all the hallmarks of the perfect IMPERIAL TIDE song, highlighting what they are all about with eerie simple, groovy riffs, energetic vocals and all the same unnerving vibe that has set the tone so well for this release. Once again, towards the end of the song the boys throw in a seismic breakdown just for good measure with jarring harmonics and a snare sound that makes you wince every time it hits (in a good way).
The closing track of the EP needs to be strong to keep the momentum going right until the finish and Malice In The Palace more than delivers. Arguably the most straight-forward metallic hardcore track on the release, it serves up some heavyweight chugging riffs before shifting for an almost STRAY FROM THE PATH-esque verse. The guitar tone on display is something to marvel at, playing off perfectly against the punchy bass guitar and booming drums to create a really thick sound. By this point in the EP we know the boys know their way around a breakdown and almost to solidify that fact they drop one for good measure to close things out.
As previously mentioned, nowadays bands need that little something extra to make themselves a real needle in the proverbial haystack and with Existence In Crisis the band may have just that. This is an EP that may seem like a straight up metalcore release to the uninitiated but look a little deeper and you will find a plethora of other ingredients that have been thrown into the mix to make the whole experience of listening to it unique. Now we just have to wait for a full album to sink our collective teeth into.
Rating: 8/10
Existence In Crisis is out now via Mascot Records.
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