RAMzine Issue 4 - July 2015 | Page 13

Reviews - Death - Punk - Rock - Prog - Brit Rock Archea Senses Fail Heartbreak Remedy The Parallax Method Calm For The Restless Catalyst Pull The Thorns From Your Heart Midnight Groove The Owl Destroyed But Not Defeated Self-Released Words: Pagan Hel Starting with ‘Omnicide’ the rather tinny beating of drums soon turns into a gargle fest as the vocals come into play. The track morphs into a malignant invasion attacking the senses with no mercy while ‘Silhouette’ is a more epic affair but none the less seething and brutal. ‘Vacuum’ reminds me of the music to a black and white silent movie at the beginning and in between becoming a lot more serious. ‘Cryosphere’ is an artistic track that breathes fire into the equation and can boast a hypnotic lilt. ‘Pyrochrysalis’ is again quite an epic track that has a lot of meat on its bones and is gripping as fascinating due to a feast of imposing textures that offer a considerably haunting presence as well as all-out madness. ‘Salt’ is a beautiful romp of keys that are backed up by a catchy beat and scathing vocals – a beauty and the beast track – Superb! ‘Quad Damage’ leads the way in a bid to pulverize, offers addictability and wins the race. Strange title, ‘His wanted position’ however it’s epic, bold and forthright. ‘Helios Ascend’ has softer tones running through its veins but doesn’t lose intensity. The final track on the album ‘Sol’ is bitter sweet with its harmonious voices and offers a celestial drama of melody and a great track to finish on. The album has a lot to offer and for those who love the gravelly vocal it is a real treat for the aural cavity! It’s not all wild and untamed either, what you get here is a feast of various riffs with real melodies attached and something solid to relate to. It holds power only the Swedes can produce with that added hint of epic! The textures are not thin on the ground and its lavish keyboards hold the answer to the bands superb sound, although it’s a great mix of beauty and the beast with lots more besides. Pure Noise Records Words: Alex Reeves It’s been 13 years since Senses Fail began making music. One of the classic bands of the mainstream emo wave of the early Noughties, their discography is dominated by angsty pop melodies over driving guitars. For many years they were the archetypal emo band. Not anymore. Since drummer Dan Trapp departed the band, to be replaced by Poison the Well’s Chris Hornbrook, vocalist Buddy Nielson remains the only member from the original line-up. As a result, this sixth album marks a drastic change for the band. Having recently opened up about his personal issues with addiction and his sexuality, Nielson clearly had a lot to get off his chest here. That makes it their heaviest release yet, a cathartic explosion of hardcore energy that’s almost unrecognisable from the emo band they once were. While 2013’s Renacer featured plenty of screaming and stomping of feet, Pull The Thorns From Your Heart feels like a more mature attempt at a hardcore record, nailing the really heavy bits and w