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New Music Report – October 16, 2020

New Music Report – October 16, 2020

This has been an uncharacteristically slow week for new music. This time of year is usually loaded with great new albums, but I’ve actually only got one album to talk about this week. I’m sure there are others, so if I missed something that you liked, I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, this one is still worth checking out.

Kingdom of Giants – This isn’t going to sound very good, but this is one of those albums that’s enjoyable if you just really don’t think about it too hard. In fact, it’s very similar to the Fit For a King album that I reviewed a few weeks ago. It’s the textbook definition of slightly mainstream-facing generic metalcore, which is to say metalcore with clean vocals and some light post hardcore influences. But, of course, I have to put a strong emphasis on the “generic” bit. It’s not a remarkable album, but it’s a fun album, and it’s an enjoyable album. It’s not going to end up on any Album of the Year lists, but I’ve given it a few spins and I liked what I heard. There really wasn’t anything that stood out, with the exception of perhaps some Northlane-inspired synths that are starting to become all the rage in some corners of metalcore. And if I’m honest, you can see flashes of brilliance in this album, it sets the foundation for a future that really could be impressive if they start to take some chances, but there aren’t enough of those moments to make this album stand out to any significant degree. I know it sounds like I’m just trashing this album, but I’m really not. It’s a remarkably average and unoffensive album for people that just want to listen to store brand metalcore and hear some breakdowns and catchy hooks in the choruses. It’s perfect for that. When comparing it to their labelmates on Sharptone that have also dropped albums just this year and absolutely mastered the genre, it doesn’t have the technical prowess of Currents, it doesn’t have the innovation of Loathe, it doesn’t have the energy of Polaris, it’s just… metalcore. And sometimes that’s alright too, I suppose, they’re just gonna have a hard time standing out among that sort of company.

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