REVIEW: 'Odi Et Amo' by Grave UK

Grave are a five piece band from Sheffield who describe their music as 'unforgiving noise' and 'South Yorkshire pain'- all bold statements to make. Having never listened to Grave before, I was interested to see what they were all about. 'Odi Et Amo' was released just a couple of days ago on March 1st under the popular label 'Demons Run Amok'

The album begins with a self titled track called 'Grave' which sounds just like it has been taken from ... well a ... grave. It's ominous, its eerie and something you'd expect to hear in a horror movie soundtrack. It sets the tone well for the rest of the album that is yet to come which is fuelled with blast beats, ferocious vocals and plenty of mosh parts to keep the kids interested at shows. Moving on to the next song-'Helpless'- the tone changes slightly from brutal hardcore to what sounds like that old band 'Landscapes'- remember them? It's more melodic in its delivery, with a catchy tone layered over a fast, but simple, drum beat. It was a nice surprise as I suspected this was going to sound like every other hardcore release but Grave have thrown some darker, but different, elements into this album.The song then slows into a breakdown, not as menacing as the ones to come later on in the album, but it breaks up the song nicely, adding variation yet again successfully adding some highs and lows.

If I had to pick a couple of favourites from this album it would be the song titled 'Scum'. The opening riff itself is hard as nails; there are mosh parts after mosh parts and the addition, of what sounds like, another vocalist heightens this song as it gives us a teaser of what else the band has to offer. In terms of overall sound, this is a typical hardcore song laden with beatdowns and intimidating lyrics. Next, the interlude song '1909' also grabbed my attention. It was similar to the opening track where it sounds as though it's straight from a horror movie. Moving more towards the melodic hardcore side of things, I would have liked to have heard more of this. Although, it was amazing to hear laid bare, this sound laden with some cutting vocals would have helped add to the ominous vibe that's painted across this album.

Another thing I would point out is the vocals. Although, the vocals are great, more experimentation in terms of lows is needed. The highs were executed perfectly throughout but a little more variation would have been beneficial. Similarly, the structuring of the songs sometimes felt repetitive and similar to one another. Some of the breakdowns came out of nowhere which was exciting whilst others felt forced and repetitive.

Overall, 'Odi Et Amo' is an exciting album and perfect if you’re into metallic hardcore with metalcore influences. You can tell on first listen that this band have put a lot of time and effort into creating a release which is a little different from other bands in the UK scene currently. Whether it's menacing discord breakdowns or an unexpected beatdown, the album has surprises littered throughout. Any first release isn’t without its faults, and it has some things I would alter, but it has considered trends and movements of hardcore all while adding their own twist to it- it's refreshing to hear.

By Amy Demidow (with Sam Hennerley)