Final Surrender – “Frogs in a pan” (Ep)

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Bangalore based Indian Metalcore act Final Surrender released their E.P. “Frogs in a Pan” on the 10th of December 2021 and with it welcomed back the bona fide guitar maestro Sanjay Kumar. The band has been active for more than a decade and rose to global prominence when they signed a deal with Indiana’s Rottweiler records in 2012. The band is a collective effort of five young and extremely talented musicians who are on a journey to push the envelope of progressive metalcore. The band had released two independent E.P.s, toured within India and in no time developed a local and global fanbase.

The band describes their sound as “a dynamic blend of gut busting heaviness and razor-sharp metallic riffing. Harsh, grating vocals soar overtop of labyrinthine, winding riffing and break-neck speed drumming, leaving the listener in nothing but the purest state of shock and awe.” The band lists August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, Meshuggah, Texas In July, Textures, Soilwork, Inflames and I The Breather, as some of it influences, which is quite evident in the sound the band creates.

Back in 2017 I reviewed their sophomore album “Nothing but void”, which was nothing short of a power packed heavy metal roller-coaster ride. Without further ado, I queued in the first track which serves as an intro to the E.P. “Hubris” with abrasive tonal guitar chugging as it pairs with a hypnotic hymn and pulverizing drums that sets the energy for the record. With “A Perfect lie” the band sets about an ambience at the start which is briefly interrupted as the song plummets to heavy depths of metalcore riffs. The guttural vocals and the pinch harmonics during the verse oscillate fairly well with the clean vocals during the chorus.

“The Cacophony within” surprises us with a few Sitar notes at the intro as it kicks off with a screeching scream, meaty guitar riffs that runs over groovy blast beats, launching the song to its verse. The song is crafty with odd time signatures, a pre chorus that gathers great momentum and delves right into a clean chorus. A slick guitar solo adds flair to the song overall. Electronica ambient paves “Frogs in a Pan”, the crunchy guitar riffs lift off and gets the listener grooving/headbanging. The band uses a mix of complex guitar rhythms and blast beats and doesn’t shy away from experimenting and infusing electronica as part of its chorus, that somehow brings down the heaviness. Is the band trying to formulate a distinct sound with this approach?

This brings us to the last song, “Machinations of A Kamikaze” which pairs a hymn on the grand Piano with the vocals of the band singing it alike. The song plummets and brings about high adrenaline as it parallels with clean melodic vocals. The chugging of chords on the low B gives a bit of djent to the song delivery. I did hear a fair bit of electronica on the record, which makes me believe the band may be trying to devise a sound original to their roots.

Production : The sound on this album is great, it uses ambient elements to build a strong narrative. The guitar and drums drove the core sound, and I felt the bass was a bit low on the album.

Conclusion : The band has been crafty with its sound and left no stone unturned in delivering something unique and original. A great E.P. to finish off the year.

Rating: 8/10

Written by: Ankit Sood

Tracklist:

  1. Hubris
  2. A Perfect lie
  3. The Cacophony within
  4. Frogs in a pan
  5. Machinations Of A Kamikaze

Band members

Joseph Samuel – Vocals
James Stephenus – Guitar
Sanjay Kumar – Guitar
Judah Sandhy – Bass
Jared Sandhy – Drums

Release Date:

Record Label:

Video for ‘A Perfect Lie’

Video for ‘Machinations Of A Kamikaze’

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=977323079798985

Weblinks: Facebook  / Reverbnation / Twitter  / Bandcamp

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