Out of Perth, Australia comes one of the most brutal, but also sweetest, releases of 2017… Sweet in the sense that this is some of the nicest ear candy that you are ever going to hear this year.
Hot off the heels of Cursed Earth’s Cycles Of Grief Volume 1: Growth comes the brilliant Cycles Of Grief Volume 2: Decay, an album that clearly shows why Cursed Earth is one of the best hardcore bands in Australia at the moment.
This is deadset one of the best releases of this year with no weak tracks in sight. ‘Regression’ is brutal and to the point, while some of Australia’s greatest hardcore is on show with ‘Rage (The Cost)’ which also consists of some thought-provoking lyrics. The track also shows why Cursed Earth’s frontwoman Jazmine Luders has one of the finest hardcore voices going around – hear she makes the band sound like a mix of Arch Enemy and Kittie.
Like a lot of the tracks on the album ‘Regret’ packs so much of a punch it feels like it is a lot longer than the two minutes it runs for – it has depth in both music and lyrics. ‘Grief’ is again full of pure aggression while ‘Exhausted’ builds (which seems weird for a track that only last for 1.30) with great use of the instrumental side. The mumbled growls used as vocals also work at breaking up the album a little as well. The band then close the album with ‘Eternal’ a track that beings with what sounds like the instruments letting off a warning alarm and then goes into a doom metal side that is different from anything else we have ever heard from Cursed Earth. Luders’ vocals are again a standout and we see an edgy side to the band that I really love.
Cycles Of Grief Volume 2: Decay is an absolutely stunning release from a band that is destined for great things. Mark my words Cursed Earth are the next big thing in Australia’s hardcore scene.
