Mongrel Records
October 22
Words by Jimmy Glinster
What’s going on here, then? Some kind of electro pop intro or something, that’s what!
With no idea where this was going, Into Their Clutches kicks into some ethereal melodic musings.
This reminds me of something, I was going to say Tool, but it’s not quite that boring, it’s a lot more interesting. I guess it’s pretty similar to something that you’d hear from Dead Letter Circus or Karnivool. The song is a journey, a long drifting one.
We hear some synth and deep gospel vocals in the intro of Continuum before the song kicks off with an actual riff, a pretty damn heavy one. This is more like it; can we have more like this, please. I wouldn’t be far off thinking this was the second band I mentioned before if I didn’t know it wasn’t. This is a formula we’ve heard a few times, from a few bands. Luckily it works though, and luckily this track is a well wanted step up in pace from the opener. I could probably listen to a couple more tracks like this one.
And on that note, Erra is the second last track on the Ennui EP. Now, just hang on a second while I google some stuff … Ennui is a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. Erra is an American Progressive Metalcore band from Alabama … or the Mesopotamian god of war. I think I’ll go with the latter because no-one needs to know about a core band from Alabama, or any core band really.
Back to the track, Erra continues on with the heavy groove we heard in the previous track, but it’s got an element of that dark heroin vibe you get with Alice In Chains, which I think is just due to the big slow guitar bends which weave and wail throughout the song. It’s an interesting twist though, which has kept my interest. An interest which nearly didn’t make it through the opening track. Just as I think the song ends, it kicks back in again, at a slower pace not too dissimilar to that opening track we just spoke of. Probably could have left it there to be honest, but it does build up intensity in the last 15 seconds to send us on our way.
A minute or so of rumbling noises and twangy guitars eventually makes way for A Light Swallowed Me Whole to kick in with its big chords, clean melodic vocals, and a slow but punchy rhythm section. The pre-chorus takes us back to that dark AIC vibe again that I spoke of in the last song. I like the band when they sound that way, and luckily the song makes it back there a couple of times. The chorus of this song is very catchy with its simple bounce and rhythm, and I’d probably sing along if I took some time to read the lyrics.
Not sure how I feel about this EP. It almost lost me during the first track, but then managed to pull me back in with the second track. It pricked my ears up when it touched on some 90s dark grunge vibes, and when the occasional heavy groove kicked in. In general, it’s pretty slow moving, but it is interesting enough to keep you listening. I guess you’d call it heavy prog, even though the song structures are still pretty generic.
Give it a listen, you might like it. I didn’t dislike it.
