Review: “Somewhere Between Order and Chaos” by Ephemera

A band comprised of musicians with a wealth of experience in other bands who know the highs and lows of the underground scene and have felt every frustration, Ephemera consider themselves a Yorkshire based Hardcore band and have trodden the boards with everyone from Last Hounds and Hell Can Wait to Thrown Into Exile since the release of their debut EP “Why did you come here? Part 1” in September 2021. Waiting until the second round to knock them out, they’ve returned with sophomore EP “Somewhere Between Order and Chaos” having used the skills of Beauty School guitarist Grant Beeden Clayton to mix and master…

If by chance you’ve seen the music video for “Sick” ahead of hearing the EP “Somewhere Between Order and Chaos” itself then you’ll recognise that a shortened version of Melancholic introduction piece “Ditto” is used to introduce that as well and in that scenario it actually makes for an Inception style déjà vu moment. The elegance of a simple and yet heart string pulling riff amid programming and samples sets the done for the undertone of infinite sadness upon which is built the frustration and need to for cathartic release. That also ties in neatly with the bands aforementioned debut EP which uses speech samples to add something extra and make you think, the carry over between the two records a nice touch. This time out the songs are twice as long as those on the first record; but that’s not saying much as we’re talking the leap from sub 2 minute affairs to sub 3 minute ones, however it is an interesting shift in dynamic. “Sick” roars into life as a Metal edged Hardcore cut that brings to mind bands like Continents, Death Blooms and at the extreme end Every Time I Die, the mid tempo, stripped down sound punching hard with a swagger that gets bodies into the pit and poison chalices raised and voices heard screaming the lyrics back at the band. Another hailstorm of Metallic Hardcore riffs cut from a similar cloth, “Throw Yourself” has an introspective lyric that feels personal and is delivered with the kind of scalding vocal performance that says this one cut to the bone when it was written in blood. The bass bleed out is a tasteful moment but not as tasteful as the Tom Morello, Rage Against The Machine style squeals during the opening riff of “Effigies“, an instant fire starter if we’ve ever heard one. The surprise is the almost anthemic cleaner (note: not clean) mid section vocal accompanied by some Hardcore Punk leaning guitars that lead into a huge heavy hitting breakdown section, the pièce de résistance of the record before an ocean of feedback brings the curtain down. The future is bright and somewhere in the sheer bedlam between order and chaos you will find Ephemera doing their damnedest to get you in the pit [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Ditto
2. Sick
3. Throw Yourself
4. Effigies

“Somewhere Between Order and Chaos” by Ephemera is out now via Kingside Records