EP REVIEW: Lost In Gravity – Ascends
ASCENDS have gone through quite the transformation since their formation back in 2008. Originally known as I, THE DECEIVER, the progressive metalcore/post-rock quintet from Sion, Switzerland took the risky move of a name change 17 years later. Now recognised as ASCENDS, the band are ready to show their fans old and new what they are made of. After the release of their debut EP Change in 2015, it was to be expected that they would release some fresh material sooner or later, which finally arrives in the form of Lost In Gravity.
Compared to previous work, Lost In Gravity shows ASCENDS step out of their comfort zone in a way they have never done before. This upcoming eight-track EP also sees the band climb to new heights in terms of lyrical content. Lost In Gravity is based around some seriously dark realisations, “detailing the problems of the human being, its solutions and the consequences.” The new EP has also been fully mixed and mastered by NOVELISTS bassist Nicolas Delestrade, which is pretty impressive.
The first track is Lightrays, which introduces us to the release with some intriguing, built up instrumentals before leaping in with Marco Romero on vocals. Romero‘s frantic yet impactful vocal delivery is truly enticing from the offset. Combined with ever-changing metalcore-style melodies, this opener is definitely a great start. Next up is Space Drifted, which starts off on a slower note than the previous track. The guitar work featured in this song, particularly at the beginning, is absolutely fantastic. Romero continues to prove his vocal talent in more ways than one, with clean vocals being a welcome addition. However as the song evolves, it begins to sound a little repetitive.
Solar Flare starts off with another impactful metalcore-style riff before Romero takes the reins once again. Unfortunately, all of the songs we have heard at this point seem to become one, with no real differences between one another. Fraxured contains infectious opening guitar work before the band shift into heavier territory later on. The chorus is probably one of the best on the release so far, with the perfect combination of unclean and clean vocals. The production nearer the end of the track is truly amazing, with the glass shattering, pounding metalcore riff successfully seeping into your memory.
Erased features further impactful instrumentals, successfully leaning into more of a progressive metal sound that works so well for the band. This is the sort of direction that we feel ASCENDS should be moving in musically. Bioshock carries on the intrigue in the best way, building up to the typical metalcore sound that the band seem to love. This song is slightly different though due to the fact that it reminds us of a less aggressive version of ATTILA – great stuff. Swim Or Plunge contains some fast-paced guitar riffs that make the song complete. Intertwined with Romero‘s spectacular unclean vocals, this makes for a very pleasant listen. The final track is Rough World, which seems to highlight how problematic and unpredictable this modern world is. The chaotic nature of this closer is just everything we wanted and more from this release.
It is safe to say that we were expecting more from this EP. You can certainly tell that this is only ASCENDS‘ second release; they still have a lot of work to do in evolving their sound. Whilst the instrumentals and overall musicianship are not to be knocked, we would have liked to heard more progressive metal influences in this release as promised. The second half of the EP is more of what we were expecting from this band, but they still have plenty of time to perfect more of a polished sound in their new ASCENDS identity.
Rating: 5/10
Lost In Gravity is set for release on October 28th via self-release.
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