Written By Kevin McSweeney
It seems almost a disservice to Fates Messenger to refer to their music as metalcore. Their promotional material describes it thus, but it is one of the more maligned subgenres of metal, and often for good reason. While it isn’t quite deathcore, it feels closer spiritually to it. This is some seriously heavy stuff on offer here. It doesn’t seem right to lump it into the same category as Poppy. They exhibit neither the slick pop sensibilities of Spiritbox, nor the overwrought emotional earnestness of Bullet For My Valentine. Instead, they offer pure brutality for the most part, with any melody coming with a sizable caveat. None of this surprises me. I had the pleasure of seeing Stampin’ Ground – the former band of bassist Paul Fletcher – live when I was a young man in the early 2000s, and it was a strikingly intense occasion, with the only balm for my bludgeoned ears coming in the form of the sweat dripping from the ceiling and walls.
I have no doubt that a Fates Messenger live show would be a strikingly similar experience. As for their recorded output, they are about to release their second EP, Eternal War, via Greyline Records on August 22nd. This follows on from their previous release, 2024’s They Walk Among Us. While the war isn’t exactly eternal, clocking in at around 23 and a half minutes, the battle certainly rages fiercely throughout its duration.
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A wailing air raid siren presages the arrival of Hellstorm, which pounds us immediately with a barrage of drums and incendiary riffs. Tony Maddocks then roars out the verse over furious double kick drums that sound like an incessant burst of Gatling Gun fire. Melody manifests itself solely in the form of eerily dissonant synths backing the carnage. When something akin to clean vocals are added to the mix, they sound as if Maddocks has been gargling gravel. There’s a section in the middle when drawing breath is treated by him as a luxury he can ill afford, with frenzied vocals coming thick and fast, and there’s a gut punch of a breakdown at the end. All in all, it’s a fine way to commence proceedings.
Speaking of drawing breath, we are not given a moment to do so, as the title track, Eternal War, roars into life with a blistering blast beat and furious riffing, the likes of which would long be associated with an early metalcore band like Vision of Disorder. It is apt then that the song features a guest appearance from none other than Tim Williams of that legendary outfit, whose 1998 album Imprint was a seminal work in the metalcore realm, and indeed the imprint thereof is very much in evidence here. His clean vocals are unmistakable, and together with the ominous synths that appear occasionally, add an element of eeriness to the bludgeoning fury.
Doomloop brings the pace down a few notches, but not the intensity. It’s a mid-paced chugger that is packed full of venom, boasting chops that would grace any Lamb of God album in its groove metal orientation. Those eerie synths make themselves known again in the choruses, providing the only discernable trace of melody in the otherwise thoroughly bestial affair, and there’s sections when headbanging is simply impossible to resist. The song concludes with a roar of “Welcome to Hell!” It sounds more like heaven to me.
The intro to Master Killer is pure Slayer to my ears, though you may question the veracity of their account, given the pounding I’ve already acknowledged they took during my formative years. In particular, with its rolling kick drums and dissonant riffs, it reminds me of Stain of Mind, a fine track from the otherwise poorly received Diabolus in Musicaalbum. That said, the way the synths, eerie as ever, are deployed in the chorus and beyond brings to mind Freedom or Fire from Fear Factory’s 1998 masterpiece Obsolete, in which they are utilised to chilling effect.
The alien-sounding spoken word intro of Bleed Again reminds me of The Predator as, vanquished, it asks Arnold Schwarzenegger what the Hell he is before blowing himself and half the jungle to smithereens. The verse riffs on this one are pure NYHC, albeit at the metallic end of the spectrum, alternating with an exquisite crossover thrash riff over rolling double kicks in the pre-chorus. They return to Fear Factory territory with those synths once again in the chorus proper, and once again, they are ominous, taking on an almost Middle Eastern character, before depositing us at the onset of a big breakdown to close the track.
Closing track Bonechapel brings in another guest, this time in the form of Al Llewellyn, previously of Arceye and Dyscarnate. They bring matters to a close in full-on thrash metal fashion, with fast beats and buzzsaw riffs. I particularly enjoyed the Cannibal Corpse-style trills around half way through. They eschew all notions of melody on this one, save for a little bit towards the end that verges on atmospheric black metal and brings the furious proceedings to a suitably ominous end.
And that’s how Fates Messenger do metalcore. There’s no radio-friendly tunefulness to break up the brutality, nor are there any choruses so saccharine-soaked, they could have been written for Olivia Rodrigo. They do rage, extremity and good, old-fashioned sweaty intensity. They are here not to tug at your heart strings, nor to sweeten your listening experience, but to kick you all the way up the south coast of England and back again. At this rate, they might just bring back some credibility to that most scorned of subgenres.
Metal Lair rates Eternal War 4 out of 5 metal horns
Tracklisting:
1. Hellstorm (03:35)
2. Eternal War [ft. Tim Williams] (03:50)
3. Doomloop (03:33)
4. Master Killer (03:33)
5. Bleed Again (03:45)
6. Bonechapel [ft. Al Llewellyn] (05:06)
Lineup:
Tony Maddocks (Above All) – Vocals
Ron D (Dishonour The Crown/Romeo Must Die) – Guitar
Paul Fletcher (Stampin’ Ground) – Bass
Will Romain (Romeo Must Die) – Drums
Fates Messenger Online: