Almost after a decade of existence, the progressive Christian Metalcore band, that has put India on the global map, “Final Surrender”, are out with their sophomore album, “Nothing But Void”. The band signed a deal with Indiana’s Rottweiler records in 2012 and since then have rose to much prominence, toured extensively, and gained much fan base across major cities. Jared Sandhy, associated with the American metal band “Day of Reckoning”, did the production for this album. The band hails from the Rock capital of India, Bangalore. What started off as a two-man project took shape and maturity with a complete line-up by the end of 2010.
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.The band highlights that its audience will be assaulted by incessant and pulverized shredding, dissonant brutality where a catchy melody meets clean chorus amongst the chaos. The band identifies its sound as, “unique and magnificent blend of hard hitting and abrasive Metalcore and progressive, dynamic native influences”. The young and talented five men militia have a long road ahead of themselves, and have much to conquer.
Getting on with the album, which opens with “Nothing but void”, a hard-hitting track which swings you off your feet with its melodies and odd time signatures. Momentum is gained as guitars and drums go ballistic. This power packed song sets the expectations high and makes its listener hungry for more. “Inescapable” has some beautiful double bass on the drums, crunchy guitar riffs and bass drops at the end of the song, that will get you to head bang. A signature style that any Metalcore band follows is giving enough odd time signature riffs to keep its rhythm complex, but what Final Surrender adds in this song is a clean complex guitar riff that just fits perfectly as an elusive interlude.
“Walls of Silence” starts off with marching drums and in no time, thrashes the life out of the snare to oblivion. Be prepared to have a sore neck (Caused by excessive headbanging) by the end of the song. Sounds of muffled vocals and a mellow violin is heard on “Exasperate” before the Metalcore formulaic sets in and brings you back to the centre of mosh pit where an angry energy awaits you. “Failing Structures” “Altruistic Veneer” are filled with loud screeching vocals, complemented with guitar and chorus melodies.
Sticking with Metalcore genre has its challenges, there is only so much that could be added otherwise the sound would be swayed off and would drift into uncharted territories, which a progressive Metalcore band should aim for. The last song on the album, “Tear down the Walls” achieves the progression as elements of Sitar (Indian classical String instrument) and Table (Indian classical Percussion Instrument) are added to the palate. After listening to this record once, one would definitely want to loop in for repetitive repeats. The band is young and full of enthusiasm and has much ground to cover. With this album, they are sure to bag many tours internationally.
Production : The sound on this album is balanced and has plenty of ambient elements to give it a powerful and complete sound. The guitar and drum work is tremendous and drives the core sound of the album.
Conclusion : The band uses all of its arsenal to produce this heavily Metalcore album. This is power packed heavy metal roller-coaster ride. I recommend you buy it!
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Tracklist:
01. Nothing But Void
02. Inescapable
03. Walls Of Silence
04. Exasperate
05. Failing Structures
06. Altruistic Veneer
07. Tear Down The Walls
Band members:
Joseph Samuel- Vocals
James Stephenus-Guitar
Sanjay Kumar-Guitar
Judah Sandhy – Bass
Jared Sandhy-Drums
Record Label: Rottweiler Records, Jan. 2017
Discography:
“The Expanse”
“Empty Graves” (2013) review
“Nothing But Void” EP (2017)
Weblinks: Facebook / Reverbnation / Twitter / Bandcamp
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Lyric Video: ‘Nothing But Void’