Album Review: Allay the Sea - 'Terraform'

31 October 2014 | 11:55 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Meh.

Deathcore has kind of become that old guy who sits at the pub every night and orders the same warm, watered down beer. That is to say, it’s getting older every time you look at it. The genre is like Physics, it pretty much hasn’t made any big discoveries or changes since ten or so years ago. And that’s both a good and bad thing. It’s good because if you like it well holy shit you won’t get bored. If you don’t then sorry.

In comparison,if you’re on the fence then you need a band that sparks the flame in the genre that gets you excited again. You need a band that will remind you that deathcore is more than killing virgins, hating humans and breakdowns. You need a band that has some pizazz and life! ...Allay the Sea aren’t that band.

Did that kill the buzz? Sorry. But it’s the sad truth. From the opening seconds of ‘A New Era’ to the closer of ‘Akasha’, ‘Terrafrom’ is really just a trip into Snoreville on the Seen-It-Before express. It’s a harsh criticism but it needs to be said. This deathcore/metalcore outfit from Newcastle really are just the same rehashed local band you can see four times at your local Youth Centre this Sunday for ten dollars.

A New Era’ hits breakdown inception when the whole song bares itself as one long breakdown before transitioning into a slower breakdown (we say breakdown a lot). It’s a little bit funny when you notice it, which is hard not to.

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One weird thing the EP tends to do is transition into some weird atmospherically-synth laden bits for about five seconds before dropping back into the heavy onslaught of chugs and open strings. It happens on just about every track and it feels very unnecessary. Save the wear and tear on the MIDI and just go straight into the meat of the song!

All harsh comments aside, this EP is pretty lacklustre and boring. It lacks all the spark and energy that a deathcore band needs to have to make you sit up and pay attention. The songs on ‘Terraform’ all feel disposable and forgettable, which is the exact opposite of what bands want to happen.

1. A New Era

2. Vision

3. Inception

4. Vimana

5. Terraform

6. Akasha