Review: “Two One Three” by Inherit The Stars

Sheffield Post-hardcore meets Alternative Rock trio Daniel Jeffery, Chris Brayshaw and Lewis Wild go by the collective name Inherit The Stars. Boasting a debut album produced by Jim Pinder at Treehouse Studio (Fightstar, Rise To Remain, While She Sleeps), “We Were Made To Walk The Skies” was digitally released in May 2013 to critical acclaim while their follow up in December 2014, the “Beyond The Beacons” EP saw them land a spot on the cover CD of Rock Sound Magazine. Their journey to date has seen them share stages with the likes of Funeral For A Friend, Don Broco and We Are The Ocean.

Nearly 5 years down the track and the ambient electronics of the title track “Two, One, Three” that progress into some melodic guitar work perhaps point at having taken two steps forward and one back before going again. Lyrically deep with some interesting vocal effects it seems like a strange place to start at first listen. The meloncholy vibe perhaps better suited to a closing tune. “Giving Up” comes out of the gate with real pace and energy, taking a sort of “Sempiternal” era Bring Me The Horizon sound and fusing it with some post-hardcore elements. The electronica offers a rich canvas to paint on while the Metalcore guitar work that bursts from it on numerous occasions is a welcome uplift from them. There is a fine balance struck in the mix with Daniel Jeffrey showing great vocal range. His passion in the lyrical delivery shines through while the sing-a-long ability and bounce of the track will no doubt go down well on the festival circuit. Growing from a speech sample “Like An Animal” becomes an anthemic styled song with big clean vocals with just a pinch of uncleans for seasoning. Instead of bursting into a breakdown after the more aggressive vocal and guitar section the band wind things down and go the opposite way, but do so with some impressive song writing ability that avoids the track falling flat. A comparison between Inherit The Stars and the newer sound of Palisades becomes evident as the album progresses but where the later seem of have lost that edge to their sound, Inherit The Stars have that in spades. “Erase Your Pain” is a fine example of that. The electronica laying the foundation for the music that comes in waves, overlaying it with some big clean vocals and crunchy guitars but also having that punch of aggression that will appeal to heavier music fans. The result is that the track has been crafted to give it an ebb and flow between styles and sounds which is completely seamless. The rap scream section takes a little bit of getting used to but after 3-4 spins it grows on you.

“Baba Yaga” kicks in with the heavier material for the very first verse with some driven guitar work and bouncy basslines before dropping it out for the chorus that sees a female backing vocalist giving the sing-a-long sound a bigger impact. The classical verse chorus structure of Metalcore is used to great effect and the track shines out in the pack. Dropping the guitars completely for the melodic electronic of the mid album love song that is “Hope” is an interesting move immediately after one of the albums heavier cuts. It showcases the diversity within the band and the ability to create in many styles and let the music do the talking. There is not a pigeon hole in which Inherit The Stars would fit. They don’t care about writing to a genre or an audience, instead they write what they feel. What keeps the songs together as opposed to sounding like a collection of singles is the use of the electronics throughout. It interweaves everything and acts not only as a backdrop but also leads and keeps things alive and flowing. “We Can Believe” brings back the guitars as well as a classic “Whoa” element that will also go down well live. The vocals have a schizophrenic edge before a hilarious cut out to a skit about pickle. A far heavier track with some savage uncleans it works wonderfully well.

https://youtu.be/Xri4SVeOnno

The rap scream vocal of “Despair” accompanied by a huge drum sound is bit awkward the first few times around but again, it’s a grower of a track that is the opposite and sequel to “Hope”. Out of tune warped music joins the opening verse of “The King And Queen” and acts as a palette cleansing break before the tune itself gets going. The highlight of this one is a cinematic guitar sequence that would put the song in the next James Bond film soundtrack. “The Highs, The Lows” has a surprise EDM breakdown section while also being probably the most anthemic cut on the album. It’s got a fantastic flow while that chorus is going to keep people coming back because it’s instantly memorable. Keeping the quality consistent “The Space Between” has a menacing groove that during the opening verse before dropping out for a Pink Floyd esq pre-chorus. It’s a part that doesn’t necessarily work but is easily overlooked when the chorus is itself is so bold. The orchestra backed guitar work thunders through and with another EDM breakdown section bringing things to a close, the album is an entertaining melting pot that has each track balanced on a knife edge [7.5/10]

Track listing

“Two One Three” by Inherit The Stars will be out on 1st September via Ambicon Records