11th May 2018

Review: “Heartless” EP by Bring The Onslaught!

Unsigned Metalcore quintet Bring The Onslaught from Aylesbury who feature Nick Wilshaw (vocals), Ben Stacey (Drums), Ashley Savage (Guitar & Vocals), James Drew (Bass) & Jonny Helm (Lead Guitars). They’ve come up in recent times supporting the likes of Sunderland’s Osiah. “Heartless” is the bands second EP, the follow up to debut “The Sacrifice”. Released on 20th April 2018, how does it sound?

Starting with some atmospheric digital background noise before building into drums, a pounding rhythm and some chugging guitar before a guttural roar from frontman Nick Wilshaw to get us off the ground. Some thrash inspired swirling guitars before the inspired vocal tones that are so reminiscent of Chimaira‘s Mark Hunter that it will have fans of the Cleveland Ohio bruisers doing a double take. The song is almost two that have been mashed together, ripping verse and pit friendly guitars that then slow to give Ashley Savage’s clean vocals some space in the mix. It’s a powerful statement piece that drives home the bands intent like a nail into your casket and while the cleans don’t necessarily grab you the first time around, by the third or forth play, they’re integral. The slow to a beatdown hardcore pace then aids the transition into the opening of “Torn to Pieces” which has a far more traditional Metalcore riff at it’s heart and as the title suggests, introspective lyrics. At times the uncleans seem a little too much for the guitar work on show and that in part is down to the mix and production value. The cleans are far more balanced into the sound, which is almost the reverse of the EP’s opening track. “The Sacrifice (Pt. 2)” benefits from some Slayer-esq riffage that balances off the uncleans much better and the buried electronic break into the clean vocal lines is a nice touch. Ben Stacey’s drum work is stand out at this point, mixing up the pounding double kicks, blast beats and marching patterns for the guitars to bounce off. “Extrasensory Perception” shows marked improvement in the clean vocal department and the sonic balance is better. Punchy guitars and the second Metalcore staple “Blegh!” of the EP make it a solid all rounder, while the bouncy riffage of the bridge should get fans off their feet. “Mind Control” takes a slower start and builds atmospherics with heavy bass and guitar tones and a much more rounded sound than some of the earlier tracks while the swirling slow leads are circle pit friendly. Bring The Onslaught have followed up debut EP “The Sacrifice” with a continuation of their sound rather than a sonic leap and while the band are hamstrung by the mix and production of this second effort at times, it’s still an enjoyable listen [6/10]