EP REVIEW: This Is Fire – Crostpaths
EPs are glorious things, aren’t they? In a world which has sadly evolved away from the consumption of full-length albums bar a select few, these morsels of music are a lifesaver. Short, sweet, and snappy – or at least that’s how they should be. The future is now so they say and what better way to demonstrate that than for Kent massive CROSTPATHS to drop their new EP: This Is Fire.
If CROSTPATHS weren’t on your radar by now, they should be. Having collaborated with DROPOUT KINGS, KID BOOKIE, and HACKTIVIST on remixes from their previous release Mutated (2021), these boys have been everywhere. On the back of supporting SEETHING AKIRA, This Is Fire comes with six tracks of what promises to be fresh nu-metal. With bands such as BLACKGOLD and SICKSENSE to contend with though, the playing field is hardly level.
Which is why Nostalgia’s placement is an anomaly for us. A slower track isn’t your typical raging EP opener. There’s a sense of murkiness in Michael Edwards’ (guitar) atmospherics but it’s clear the expectations which come from Mutated need to be left firmly at the door. Ritchie McCombe’s proclamation of being “pleasantly surprised to exist” sits atop huge drums from James Mason. Placement aside, Nostalgia is a solid tune about those days gone by. Small lilts reside in the guitar while the beat prompts a comforting rocking sensation.
Shapeshifter leaves the comfort zone behind and sees CROSTPATHS edge towards metalcore territory. Spiralling riffs meet cool atmospherics to give us a little bit of disjointed energy. Owain Lewis’ (bass/vocals) vocals feel out of place for a moment. Not for any negative reason. It’s simply not what we were expecting. Though the song is saved by the crunch of Edwards’ guitar giving Shapshifter the edge it needs. Talk of being “stuck in my headspace” has us sitting on the bridge’s precipice, waiting for the disgustingly brutal breakdown which sadly never comes. At least not until Cookie Cutter, a harsh commentary on the state of society today. A reflection on more than just the current climate within the music industry where people only succeed if they’re seen to follow a trend, CROSTPATHS sail through the song like the proverbial “knife through butter”. With a chorus which sits akin to groove metal, we only wish the vocals were a touch faster in order for that section to really connect.
Disconnect is the name of the game with I Am The Liquor. Wanting to sever all ties with demons and human emotion with “sex, drugs, and the toilet bowl”, this track is an ode to excess. It doesn’t glorify or romanticise it in any way, nor should it, but brings many of us back to nights of “feeling empty so I chug it”. Lewis’ basslines come to the forefront like palpitations after drinking one too many vodka Red Bulls and buzz through the head. I Am The Liquor is wonderfully intoxicating – to the point we’re mindlessly singing along before the first play’s end. Though what is a high without a low? Walk The Wire feels like the hangover which tells us we’re far too old to party now. The ominous bottom end teamed with a higher guitar track grates on the nerves. McCombes’ vocals hide within static before entering a verse which tickles the edge of drill (a subgenre of trap). Growing “sick of these sycophants”, we fully lean into the track waiting for the drop… then get blue balled when the track ends.
We come full circle with Echolalia; a slower track which approaches the five-minute mark. Again, it feels much closer to light metalcore than it does nu-metal but we’re not genre purists. A lower buzz within the instrumental makes way for McCombes’ distinct vocals as they space out into a bark rather than a faster rap. What is the most surprising thing of all about this EP is there’s a guitar solo and a rather technical one at that. Who said nu-metal can’t be technical? Certainly not CROSTPATHS.
Is this fire? That is the question of the review and a difficult one to answer. If you’re going in without having listened to Mutated, This Is Fire is a solid EP. However if Mutated is still on regular rotation, This Is Fire will fall short in places. This Is Fire is CROSTPATHS’ playground of genres and within any experimentation, not everything is going to work. The potential is most definitely there for CROSTPATHS – it would be remiss of us to say otherwise. There are moments throughout the EP where we wish CROSTPATHS would have embraced where they’re going just that touch more. With that being said, This Is Fire is a great EP and a wonderful place to start for the newer fans these upstarts are sure to amass.
Rating: 7/10
This Is Fire is set for release on May 26th via self-release.
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