EP REVIEW: Mirror Work – Tether.
Although this is just an EP TETHER. are already showing they’re ready to play with the big names in the hardcore scene. Mirror Work is a moody, heavy and angsty collection of tracks and TETHER. are a shining light in a dark world.
Guttural screaming kicks off track one Hollywood Trauma and the song doesn’t really let up for the rest of its runtime. It’s angry. The guitar parts are busy however and don’t rely too much on effects to sound bigger than they are. There are some really intricate parts too that are more just for show but nobody’s complaining.
Next song Straight With Me was released as the lead single and is really the track that captures just what TETHER. are about: finding meaning in a meaningless world. It expresses all the frustration and angst the band are feeling which is reflected by most of the general public at this point. It’s a track to mosh to and destroy and go wild. With the heavy guitar parts and the percussion pressing everything down it sounds like it’s hitting a boiling point on the edge of an explosion of sound.
Meet Me Where The Sun Touches The Sea still has that great signature post-hardcore sound but is a little more melodic than previous entries in the verses before crashing down into the chorus. The super gritty vocals bounce off the stabbing guitar parts, perfectly creating a doom-filled atmosphere. Obey The Circle sounds a little PIERCE THE VEIL inspired, especially on the guitar parts – these guys are a lot heavier in their verses but the instrumentation sounds a little more emo-inspired. This track expresses the hopelessness that the EP relishes in but it’s clearer here. It’s got an earwormy hook that isn’t heard as much in hardcore so it’s cool that they’ve managed to work that into this track.
Coming directly after is Break Your Tether which is probably the least heavy track on the EP but that’s really not saying much. It still explodes in the first chorus and doesn’t let up from there. The vocals seem a little cleaner in this track which makes a change but it’s certainly not a bad thing. The EP ends on This Way Or The Highway and leaves on a high note with its crushing sound. Everyone seems to be going all out on this track and it sounds just perfect. They strike a balance between melodic vocals and all-out screaming which works really well although it feels like it shouldn’t. It comes to an abrupt end all at once and all too soon really.
Reflecting on the EP as a whole it’s hard to say exactly what genre TETHER. fits into as it’s certainly on the heavier end of the hardcore spectrum but it’s not quite heavy enough to be classed as metal. It manages to stay somewhere in between which is great as bands that can’t be pinned down are always interesting and have created their own sound and that’s exactly what TETHER seem to be going for.
Rating: 8/10
Mirror Work is set for release on June 20th via self-release.
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