20th December 2018

“I Let The Devil In” EP by Currents

Hailing from Connecticut, Currents have toured the World over with their previous Nu-Metalcore fused DJent-isms with their previous release and full debut album “The Place I Feel Safest”. Signing to SharpTone Records for prior to that gave the band a huge push and the group, consisting of Vocalist Brian Willie, Guitarists Chris Wiseman & Raya Castaldi, Bassist Dee Cronkite & Drummer Matt Young stepped up to the plate.

After an opening passage of electronics underpinning some aching synths and some very muddy blast beats “Into Despair” kicks in full throttle like a track that firmly belongs on “The Place I Feel Safest”. It has the same signature sound but adds some touches that you might not expect. A Deathcore growl from vocalist Brian Willie that resurfaces several times is an interesting move, while lyrically there is still that Nu-Metalcore introspection that drives the vocals. The closing breakdown also has a hint at a heavier sound than the bands Nu-Metalcore leanings of the past. The song itself is also the one from which the EP gets it’s title. “My Disguise” unsurprisingly offers a big clean chorus but fortunately it has enough bounce and energy that the momentum isn’t lost in the process. A tasteful solo later and we’re back into the breakdowns and Willie’s emotive screams. It strikes a fine balance between the heavy and melodic that works well and shows some interesting growth in the bands sound. “Feel The Same” continues the vibe and flow before dropping the guitars almost completely for an emotive melodic clean vocal verse. Bringing the the guitars back to great effect, the song then drops down once more. It’s an experiment that works well in the end even if it does make fans nervous at the lack of crunch in places.

“The Rope” continues the same formula of the previous tune making the melodic very very melodic and the heavier parts much much heavier, increasing the contrast as much as possible. Lyrically the whole EP is introspective Nu-Metalcore from start to finish. This one closes with enough of a punch to make even a Deathcore fan happy, but is in stark contrast to the opening tune. “Forever Marked” is quite easily the heaviest tune on “I Let The Devil In”. Willie delivers some of the heaviest vocals of the bands career in places, but again there is an insistence on mixing it up and there is an ocean of clean vocals that hint at Linkin Park in places and it seems unnecessary to do so. As a whole, “I Let The Devil In” has plenty going for it. Extremes have pushed out and rather that having the Melodic experiments as songs themselves, Currents have created a collection of songs that span a number of sub-genres to get their points across. There is no doubt that one or two of these songs will get added to the band live set and will sit well with their existing material. [7/10]

Tracklisting