It’s been over two years since I first listened to Sons of Alpha Centauri. That was on the quite formidable Buried Memories which was very much a game of two halves (well maybe three periods like in Ice Hockey). Side A saw Justin Broadrick take on remixing a trio of tracks under his various guises – Jesu, JK flesh and Justin K respectively and Khanate’s James Plotkin twiddled knobs and bubble cauldrons under another three on SIde B. Damn fine stuff. Post Rock, Industrial and Electronica were taken out for dinner and shagged with abandon up against the fire exit to the delight of all.
Now, two years later the Kent collective have looked Westward to Sacramento for their new album Push. They have recruited Mitch Wheeler from Will Haven on drums and Jonah Mastranga from Far on vocals to give this release some big indie alt metal cred.
So, what has this injection of personnel meant to the sound of SOAC? Well there is no getting past the retro as fuck sounds here. This album screams late 90’s post hardcore/alt metal from every fibre of it’s being. It’s like Deftones, Glassjaw, Quicksand, Rival Schools and the soundtrack to Thrasher compilation VHS tapes are having a basement show, after busting out some ollies in Mr Jones empty pool down on the corner of 3rd and Main. (Hey apologies I grew up in North London and fell off the only skateboard I went near).
So, with the market stall set out selling retro goods – very on trend in 2021 – the question is whether the material is truly “vintage” or merely “pre loved”.
Well, these ears say it is very much the former. What SOAC with Mitch and Jonah on board offer is a truckload of catchy, angsty, melodic post hardcore anthems that stay in the head long after the last chord has echoed out.
Jonah Mastranga has a voice that holds melody as it well as it does angst and pain and manages to just stay on the right side of hysteria and stops me rolling my eyes and telling him that, yes he does need to tidy his room up if he wants to borrow the car.
It’s catchy. There is not enough said about catchiness these days. It is all about big riffs and textures – I should know I overuse those adjectives all the time.
Sometimes what you need is a nice hooky bassline, a great guitar line and a heartfelt vocal to get you right in the feels. That is what Push has in a wheelbarrow. “Dark Night” has me writing and grooving at the same time whilst “Boys and Girls” sounds like it could come straight off The Crow soundtrack. All of a sudden I am in my twenties again – with hair! Who needs caffeine shampoo and hats motherfuckers!
The title track opens with a bassline from the Shelter playbook before the track lurches full post hardcore in its beautiful discordance. I could go through track by track but you would then waste time reading when you should be seeking this album out.
The band have found a perfect match for their edgy, dreamy, melody-soaked instrumentals and have created a love letter to post hardcore and alt metal that warms the heart and breaks it at the same time.
A delight.
(8.5/10 Matt Mason)
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