Written By Kevin McSweeney
What is it with the Welsh and metalcore? For the sake of transparency, I’ll admit that it’s not my favourite subgenre.
I can’t help but see it as a downgrade from the melodic death metal of the likes of At The Gates and the post-hardcore sounds of Quicksand et al from which it originally stems, but my Celtic cousins from the Land of Song seem to do it better than most.
The tiny town of Bridgend alone has given us two of its most lauded luminaries, in the form of Bring Me The Horizon and Funeral For a Friend. It also gave us Those Damn Crows, which is an immense contribution to music for a little place roughly equidistant between, and dwarfed by, the cities of Swansea and Cardiff.
Speaking of the latter, the Welsh capital’s Contrasts now seek to follow in those sizable footsteps with their debut EP False Idol, Those are some pretty big Vans Old Skool imprints to fill. Let’s see how they got on by going through it track-by-track in customary Metal Lair style.
Ghost in My Head
Ghost in My Head starts us off in full-blooded fashion with muscular riffs and gruff gutturals, but with melodic interludes breaking out intermittently like crepuscular rays through clouds.
The ominous synths give it an almost industrial vibe, like they’re channeling mid-to-late 90s Fear Factory (whose erstwhile frontman Burton C. Bell was one of the first to popularise alternating between clean vocals and gutturals, and thus was an inspiration to many a metalcore vocalist.)
This is especially the case when those sharp, staccato riffs manifest themselves in the pre-chorus. There’s a taste of the sugary sickliness that puts me off this subgenre somewhat in the chorus proper, but it’s maybe one lump, rather than two, or ten, which is often the way these days.
When the breakdown comes, as almost inevitably it must, it is brief. This technique may be integral to metalcore, but it is still best administered sparingly. Well done, chaps!
The Space Between (feat. Aaron Roberts of DE’LOUR)
There’s a bit of a Glassjaw vibe about this one, at least in the initial stages. I’m reminded somewhat of the verses of songs like Cosmopolitan Bloodloss and When One Eight Becomes Two Zeroes.
It’s the lead guitar technique primarily, though the anguish in the vocal delivery evokes Daryl Palumbo, at least until the gutturals kick in.
Again, that cloying sweetness comes to the fore in the chorus, which puts me off slightly, but that’s a personal preference, of course. Others will love it, and each to their own.
The dissonant lead in the middle section asserts their post-hardcore credentials, and it concludes in a tone that brings me right back to that Glassjaw reference, with them having resisted the urge to go to a breakdown. This restraint is admirable.
Armageddon
The third song begins with some sombre piano chords, followed promptly by programmed beats and some earnest, heartfelt vocals that wouldn’t be out of place on Heart or BBC Radio One in the UK.
This does not bode well. The first two tracks were good. Don’t be going all Sleep Token on me, butts!*
Thankfully, there is an injection of some venom around two minutes into proceedings, with harsh vocals and rolling kick drums coming into play, but it’s not quite enough to banish the aforementioned comparisons with the highly divisive Liverpudlian outfit referenced earlier.
This is particularly disappointing, given the title, which suggests something with a bit more impact – literally, in the case of the 1998 movie of the same name.
(I’m still trying to figure out how it’s easier to teach oil drillers to be astronauts than to teach astronauts how to drill oil.)
Nevermind; I can allow them one attempt at a radio hit, especially as they did spice it up a little. I just hope they make up for it with some serious vitriol in the last track.
*This is not a reference to the hind quarters. It’s Welsh slang, meaning “pals”.
False Idol
It looks like I got my wish, as the title track bursts into action with some swaggering staccato riffs and a faster pace than on the previous three tracks.
The verse is quieter, but the “clean” vocals are delivered with a menacing rasp that wasn’t evident previously.
The eerie synths are present once again, bringing the more industrial-tinged nü-metal bands to mind, like Powerman 5000 or Static-X.
The choruses are bold and melodic, with strong emotional intensity, The drums are much more prominent, with big single-stroke snare rolls blended into blast beats.
They bring both False Idol the song and False Idol the EP to a close in emphatic fashion, with no fannying around for the sake of it. I appreciate this very much, and once again applaud them for not overusing the breakdowns.
So there we have it! It’s an impressive first outing, save for a few standalone singles, for the Cardiff quintet, and it offers much in the way of promise.
In fact, I enjoyed it far more than the output of many more established bands of their ilk. It’s billed in the press release as being for fans of Architects, Northlane and Bad Omens, and if that’s your thing, you’ll love it.
Even for those who, like me, are put off by the metalcore moniker, there’s plenty to enjoy if you approach it with an open mind.
All in all, not bad for a band who have only been around since the latter stages of the pandemic!
We look forward to seeing where they go from here. So long as they are true to themselves and don’t become idle, there’s no end to the possibilities.
Metal Lair awards False Idol four out of 5 devil horns.
BAND LINEUP
Kieron Sheppard: vocals
James Hardiman: bass/vocals
Michael Thomas: guitar/vocals
Kurt Roberts: guitar
Ethan Simons: drums
TRACK LISTING
1.Ghost In My Head
2.The Space Between (feat. Aaron Roberts of DE’LOUR)
3.Armageddon
4.False Idol
False Idol by Contrasts will be available to stream from January 30th on Spotify, YouTube Music and Bandcamp.
Contrasts Online
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About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
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