13th July 2022

Review: “The Wound, The Blade” by ATLVS

After 3 years on from their 2019 debut EP “Memoir“, Melbourne Australian Metalcore quintet ATLVS entered the studio to record “The Wound, The Blade” in collaboration with Alpha Wolf guitarist Scottie Simpson who also mixed and mastered the six track affair. Having danced upon stages with Gravemind and Windwalker in the interim, unveiling 2020 standalone single “Sorrow” saw a change for the heavier in the bands sound…

“The Wound, The Blade” finds the band at their heaviest and yet at their most vulnerable as they explore dark themes and raw emotions based upon a collection of stories, recollections and journal entries from multiple members of the band. Those real life experiences set a sickening tone as the band parade Nu-Metalcore sensibilities in line with their peers in Alpha Wolf and Void Of Vision, the waking nightmare beginning with “Kodokushi“, which touches the void into Nu-Deathcore with some seriously weighty breakdowns interspersed with ambient moments of clarity that counter balance the heavier moments perfectly. Skilfully avoiding the need for a clean vocal during those parts is key to maintaining the raw nature of the narrative and makes it work perfectly. “Nazareth” then comes out swinging with plenty of swagger as Nathan Coff continues to spit venom, the fire in his eyes a mirror into the soul possessed by a demon, the chugging layered riffs giving him plenty of backbone on which to spray and pray. Despite the tales being told being from more than one member of the band, the raw emotive qualities of the lyrics are carried over with perfect balance into the vocal performance, none of the grit or intensity of feeling being lost. Shimmering like gold in a shipwreck, “Comethazine” sees the band expanding their range with a narrative about abusive relationships, bassist Matthew Borthwick numbly clean singing in a monotone fashion to tell the tale while attempting to dull the blades and the dynamic, including the underused in the genre bass solo, is flawless. Guitarist Nick Fitzgerald gets his moment in the limelight with “Broken Bonds“, a cut that flows with aggressive tendencies while at the same time offering a sickeningly eerie melody, his off kilter solo a work of art in itself. That melody bleeds into “Synthetic Heaven“, a complex cut that blends influences and wanders sub-genres with a jaw dropping quality. If you can get your head around what it might sound like if Polaris covered a Counterparts track then you might understand the aching beauty of one, the only criticism of which is that it cries out for another verse and chorus. Finale “Cold Blood” finds the melody in the aching lead guitar work while going big on the breakdowns during the chorus with plenty of Mosh Pit starting fury for another stand out piece that put the band on a whole new plane of existence [8/10]