LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES
The Cycles Of Trying To Cope
UNFD
8 / 10 Track listing:
01. Angels Weep
02. Paradigm Trigger
03. Over the Garden Wall
04. Gone Without a Trace
05. Dissociative Being
06. The Shepherd's Crown
07. To Know is to Die
08. Kintsugi
09. Everything That Once Held It Together
10. The Depths I Roam
11. What Do We See When We Leave This Place?
LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES have never played it safe with their music. The metalcore group came on the scene in 2010, with their debut EP, "Sweet Talker", that year. Their debut full-length, "When We Don't Exist", arrived in 2011, along with major tours that launched them into the spotlight.
The band has a penchant for merging powerful melodies with sheer technical skill, and that has continued over the years. Now, LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES present their sixth studio album, "The Cycles of Trying to Cope", and it continues in their tradition of exciting breakdowns, guttural screams and clean vocal passages.
"The Cycles of Trying to Cope" opens with lead track , "Angels Weep", which kicks things off with a fury. The song begins quietly and grows into a total metalcore assault, with vocalist Chris Roetter's screaming over guitarists Zach Pishney and Cody Cavanaugh's furious playing and drummer Roman Garcia's stark rhythms. It's brutal. It's merciless. It also foreshadows the album ahead.
"Paradigm Trigger" is equally heavy, with Roetter hardly taking a breath as he pummels through super heavy riffing with his screaming assault. Here, though, later in the song, Roetter does pull out some clean vocals with glorious harmonies, which adds some variety to the song.
As the album progresses, LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES deliver more deadly breakdowns, making this an album that fans of the heavier side of metalcore should enjoy. Songs such as "Over the Garden Wall" and "Dissociative Being" include some soaring clean singing from Roetter, which cuts up the album's brutal nature. But, those passages are few, so most of this album simply rages. "Dissociative Being" and "Kintsugi" are probably the most mainstream songs on the record, as they offer a bit more melodic and mainstream appeal than the others. "To Know is to Die" and "The Depths I Roam" are more unrelentless, with massive dynamics and wailing vocals.
LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES are absolutely triumphant on "The Cycles Of Trying To Cope", and it should be well-received by new and old fans alike. Next time around, it would be nice to see this band dip into more experimentation, as they certainly have the talent to branch out. But, for now, "The Cycles Of Trying To Cope" is more than worthy of repeat listens.
Prev 