[rwp-review id=”0″]
If a light-hearted, easygoing album was what you were looking for, avoid Foxblood’s The Devil, The Dark and The Rain. One of the heaviest albums to come out of Melbourne’s hardcore scene, let alone any band in a very long time, The Devil… is an absolute treasure.
Hurricane Hearts kicks off the album, with melodic guitar riffs and heightening drums establishing a wall of suspense that’s completely pulverised by vocalist Chris Millward’s enormous and emotional screams. It takes little more than thirty seconds to get an idea of exactly what you’re in for with The Devil, The Dark and The Rain. Timeless follows and is five minutes of shredding riffs and crushing vocals, elements that unarguably form the backbone of the album. Reintroducing prominent guitar melodies is third track Brittle Bones, which also features equally prominent keyboards and some heavy lyrical content; “rest assured my friend; you’ll wind up dying or wind up dead”.
The title track another outstanding number, falling just short of six minutes mark but no less epic. From beginning to end, you experience the sheer heaviness of the first half of the album followed by a massive chorus, incredible clean vocals and finally a slow, sobering outro that segue-ways into first single Die Young.
Nothing has hit emotionally as hard as Die Young since Being As An Ocean’s Dear G-d from a few years back. The huge screams of the previous few songs are temporarily retired in favour of clean vocals, supported by a comparatively stripped-back yet no less heavy guitar and drum combo. As the chorus hits and strikes the soul, it’s hard not to become completely obsessed with this album.
Recovering from Die Young, it’s hard to believe half the record has passed. Ghost Town Medicine brings focus back to the softer elements in the album, with Millward’s vocals leading a sombre string and keyboard ensemble. Set Me Alight brings back the heavy sounds, followed by the eerie introduction Bloodlines reminiscent of the American Horror Story theme song.
No Heroes is Foxblood’s second single and returns to the successful pairing of melodic and fast-paced heavy elements. The emotion is omnipresent and does not tire on the rest of the album, with A Place to Rest in Between and Swan Song closing the album. At its core, The Devil, The Dark and The Rain is a work of raw emotion and post-hardcore at its finest.
Check out the new album here: https://www.facebook.com/foxbloodau
