‘Closure’ starts off with a slow picked guitar riff and a drum beat that lulls you into a false sense of security. Around 45 seconds in the feedback from guitars starts to squeeze in, before the whole thing kicks off. And in fine style too – when the band pick up the pace on this song, and this record as a whole, they sound brilliant.
It’s a pretty bleak record. “All I have is the beating in my chest” the band yell on the first song, and lyrically there are numerous references to what appears to be the end of a life or the end of a relationship. Musically the band play a punishing brand of hardcore that’s not afraid to mix up the pace or mix the aggression. I’m not a fan of the genre when it’s relentless and continually in-yer-face; I could never profress to being an expert of hardcore bands, but I know what I like and Almost Home manage to mix things up enough to keep it energetic and interesting. ‘Struggle’ varies the pace enough to hold your interest for much more than the odd listen, while ‘Unbreakable’ does something similar.
It’s rare that I review something and find myself going back to it when I know what I’m going to write. It’s testament to Almost Home‘s ability to write interesting and varied music that I think this record will be critically acclaimed. It should be – it’s bloody good.