When a band cites Trivium, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, and As I Lay Dying as major influences on their sound, how could you possibly not be interested?
Which is why when Widow Anchor sent in their song Contest for a listen, I had no hesitation in giving it a crack.
Kicking in with a crunching guitar riff and forceful drumming, Contest hits all the right spots from the outset and once the vocals decide to join the party the picture becomes complete.
Spat out with large splatterings of spite, you can almost feel the pent-up aggression pounding through the speakers, and it is clearly evident we ain’t in Kansas any more!
The metalcore element strikes around the one-minute mark in what I’m guessing is the chorus, as clean vocals drown out the monster, who dutifully returns to lay carnage.
And does so well.
The chorus is a little too clean and wishy-washy for my personal tastes, but it comes with the metalcore territory and has to be expected.
But it’s the harsh vocals that really stand out, coming back in unison with the cleans before overpowering them completely. It’s a nice transition that has me leaning more favourably towards the softer vox – but only just.
I should point out here that I am not a massive fan of the harsh/clean alternating vocals as a general rule, so these comments aren’t reflective of the quality heard here. It’s more my own personal problem.
A wicked breakdown about 2.20 in leads into a crushing guitar riff which in turn leads to more screaming and fuck me does it sound good!
Some nice guitar and drum interplay carries through to the end of the track, which fades out to an almighty scream/growl, finishing up on a massively positive note.
Special mention must be made of the entertaining video clip which features footage of people playing cards at a table, spiced up by alcohol and shots and ensuing shenanigans. There’s plenty more happening too, but you will have to take a peek yourself to find out…
