Earth Caller
Degenerate
teamtrick
Release Date: Out Now
Review by Callum Doig
Australia’s metalcore scene hasn’t had much of a change in recent years. There will be a handful that are capable of creating the same old monotonous songs, then there will be a small percentage of those who can make something that makes them stand out from the rest. You’ll find the latter to be Melbournian rapcore mosh monsters Earth Caller, who have pulled out the newest addition to their discography as their first LP – ‘Degenerate’.
‘Degenerate’ features ten tracks, that go from rapcore to hardcore punk and anthemic metalcore components. The themes don’t just follow the usual ‘believe in yourself’ lyrics, but also some rebellious themes, as well as an anti-political topic on the currently elected party on the track ‘Dictated, Not Led’. One of my favourites, ‘The Faceless King’, brings some hard-hitting themes on asylum seekers. Dre Faivre of Hellions makes an appearance in ‘Your Enemy’, delivering a duet with Josh Collard in a melodic method of the track, bringing a ‘fuck you’ message to ‘crooked cops’. Overall, every track is different and unique in its own way, so there’s no negative quality that the band brings towards ‘Degenerate’.
Vocalist Josh Collard’s delivery on both vocals and lyrics pair up perfectly, tearing his heart out with every feeling he has in every word he executes. Make Them Suffer’s Lachlan Monty’s dropped tuning riffs and bassist Anthony Mar both have their own tabs of music that go together very well and Luke Weber’s drumming shifts in forms of punk and sped-up thrash rap beats, with his command of changing tempo and beats without failure.
Though this isn’t their first ever release, whether it be an EP or an LP, Earth Caller have made a bigger change to their name as a band by opening with a more diverse approach compared to their EP ‘Pillars of Exodus’ – where they produced the usual, unoriginally tedious metalcore. But, with ‘Degenerate’, this is a massive step-up to the band’s game, and has made them stand out as a more perfect Melbournian band. I can safely say that this is one of the finest releases of an Australian artist that I’ve heard this year.
