Review: “The Shift of Balance” by Aggro (6th Anniversary)

Forged in the fires of London in 2018, Aggro have spent their time turning stages to sawdust with everyone from Gutlocker to Imperium and Sore Teeth to Thrasherwolf. Blending the punch of Hardcore with early 2000’s Metal swagger, heavy groove laden riffs, brutal breakdowns and powerful emotive vocals, their explosive and dynamic approach is reminiscent of bands like Dry Kill Logic. Recorded, mixed and produced by Dan Kerr (Old Wharf, The Uncharted, Asleep At The Helm) at Avenue Studios their debut EP “The Shift of Balance” finds the band as a five piece consisting of bassist Ant Rosher, drummer Jon Moore, vocalist Dan Gallop and guitarist duo Rob Joyce (who has since exited stage left to be replaced by Andy Doyle) and Phil Williams who also handles clean vocals…

There are a few genre tags you could throw out there when it comes to the force of nature that is Aggro, Metal, Metalcore, Groove Metal and even Nu-Metal are all applicable and that’s because the band take the approach that Metal is Metal and they’re dynamic in their approach. Opening cut “Ruins” is a fine example as the harsh vocals in the punchy verses from Gallop are hard hitting while the clean vocals from guitarist Williams are stunning. A tale of love lost to a broken relationship, it feels like it was inspired by Killswitch Engage and doesn’t suffer any form of slow down to make way for the chorus. They even have time to shoehorn in a stompy breakdown with some tasteful leads before the rain begins to fall in the final few seconds. “Your Turn” slides from that distinctive 2003 American Metalcore sound into Groove Metal for an angry anthem that doesn’t use the clean vocals at all and barely uses the leads, instead finding the band opting to fuel mosh pit violence with rhythmic battery. The bold clean chorus and classic Melodic Death Metal lead guitars come back into play for the polished affair that is “This Burden“, a sing-a-long anthem with some tasty chunks of groove in it. A demonstration of the kind of musicianship that the band are capable of, it has the power of nostalgia as the influences bleed through the bandages. A bass solo brings in “No F***s Given“, a rowdy affair that points the finger at the someone who has crossed them and warns that they’re skating on thin ice. The interplay between the guitars works really well and with the chorus you can’t help but think of bands like The Workhorse Movement because its got the same kind of verve and swagger about it. “Stalemate” captures the bands live energy and commits it to tape with chugged chord progressions interchanging with leads on a regular basis. Lyrically a continuation of the narrative of the opening cut, this one has another sing-a-long chorus held at its bitter black heart [7.5/10]

Track Listing:

1. Ruins
2. Your Turn
3. This Burden
4. No F***s Given
5. Stalemate

“The Shift of Balance” by Aggro was released on 3rd January 2020 and is available over at bandcamp