MetalCore is not my usual sub of the day. I managed to swerve the avalanche of bands that hit 20 years ago with only a few registering on my radar. This may have been snobbery on my part or possibly a puritanical streak where I wanted to keep the Hardcore and Metal separate on my plate to enjoy their flavours unsullied. Of course there are droves of folk for whom the mix of hardcore beatdowns, soaring guitar solos and mixing gruff and clean vocals has kept their boats afloat for the last two decades. So, in the spirit of “new year new me” I put on my big boy Speedos and jumped into the briny if a little whiney deep of Resist the Ocean.
This Nuremburg quintet have been around for 10 years now and “In Death We Are Equal” is their second album following “Hearts of the Oak” in 2017. They tick all the right boxes for a modern MetalCore band. Big chunky riffs, melodeath leads and vocal trade offs between guttural guy and clean nasal guy – both it appears inhabiting the larynx of Jochen Hofmann- and some damn fine melodies. This is a long album – 12 songs including the intro – and could possibly do with a little pruning to make the fruits grow juicier but it surprised me with its potency.
The opening third of the album opens the palette with the title track rampaging along at a steady pace with the clean vocals riding some keys across the throng. The band have enlisted Lorena Daum from the Teutonic version of the Voice for “Umbra” . She has a great set of pipes and blends well with the gruffness of Hofmann but it goes a little symphonic metal for this old punk.
The next few songs hit a lot harder and in all the right places. Visions is a mix of the Gothenburg sound with a dose of popcore in the clean vocals and it works. Its bouncy and fun whilst still having a touch of the old guitar hero vibe and room to mosh.
“As Above So Below” has a chorus as catchy as Covid and a bunch of riffs that made me grin and groove. The song relaxes into a beautiful groove complete with a post hardcore/ early emo shouted passage before launching back into the chorus to great effect. Absolute banger!
“Crown of Gaia” is another catchy little number mixing acoustic passages in with big hooks and solos. I find myself really warming to Resist The Ocean’s craft – they write songs rather than stapling together riffs and give even a first time listener a chance to dive straight in. Acoustic instrumental Equinox leads into the back end of the album with the fringe tipping BMTH style of “Unforgiving Storm” which drops in a little electronica into the mix – not sure why but I bet the kids love it.
A folky style ballad? I was not expecting that. Well, it starts kinda folky but is more like something Blink 182 tickled the charts with on their eponymous album 20 years back. Here Resist the Ocean are joined by Julai Kalass of whom I could find nothing about. It’s OK but highly skippable. “A War Beneath the Skin” follows which is a perfectly fine, but pretty forgettable MetalCore standard which leaves it to “Promethean” to bring it home. Which it does mixing staccato guitar line and some groovy drums atop a toe tapping riff. I think it is my age but I feel my tolerance levels dropping – no fault of the band, I just feel like a kid locked in an ice cream parlour that has gone three scoops over my limit.
Resist the Ocean is a tasty treat that I will enjoy once in a while but I cannot see myself gorging in. They write some fine songs though – I am still singing As Above So Below!
(6.5/10 Matt Mason)
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