Review: “No One is Coming to Save Us” by Burner

“If It All Returns To Nothing looked outwards to the world’s chaos throughout history, No One Is Coming To Save Us instead looks inwards at its proposed cause; humanity’s violent, animalistic nature, begging us for change. This is an album about human behaviour: that people create endless cycles of violence by repeating the mistakes of the past, forging a brutal history that we fail to learn from.

But, at the same time, the album is about questioning whether we can ever get past those sins and repetitions. This is a record that is mournful as much as it is angry and engaged. It longs to bitterly recall the moments of greatness and sacrifice in our shared history that created the better world we currently destroy. It longs to look back at these moments for inspiration and optimism, at a time where it feels like hope is running thin.

The album is also a struggle for hope, not just that humanity can overcome hatred and violence, but that we can look back on our greatest moments and take courage to build a better world. No One Is Coming To Save Us reflects this duality in its title: that no one will come to save us from the violence and tragedy we create as part of our humanity. But it also proposes that it’s up to us to change – to overcome a violent human nature and usher in a better tomorrow.” ~ Harry Nott, vocalist

Since their inception in London in 2021 Burner, who feature in their ranks current and former members of Renounced, Wotan’s Gungnir and Journey’s End have mused on themes of  Ecocide, Politics and War, weaving Death Metal, Hardcore and fragments of Black Metal into their calculated disorder. The lyrical narratives often run deeper than Jägermeister, mirroring the darkness of the quartets music while often being bleak, seeking comfort in misery as they foresee the downfall of humanity and life as we know it.

Having established that they can write captivating seven minute surpassing songs with “An Affirming Flame” from 2023’s “It All Returns To Nothing“, in something of a surprise move Burner choose to do so with opening cut “The Third Revelation“. A meandering melancholic introduction transcends the darkness into a Post-Metal hook from guitarist Nathan Harlow as the band being to push their boundaries and those of the discerning listener, Harry Nott’s savage vocals scalding the ear canals during a vicious first verse. Jack Bryant then switches things from the low and slow menace to Black Metal with a burst of blast beats before falling back, something which perhaps foretells of an evolution into Extreme Metal in the future because this is bleak, epic and sinister all rolled into one.

Barely pausing for breath “What Will You Give?“, which is graced by Josh Middleton of Sylosis marks a return to Burner’s trademark blend of Death Metal and Hardcore, Finn Gannon’s rumbling bass and Harlow’s barbed riffs creating wave after wave of rhythmic assaults. The screamed lyrical narrative is all you’d hope it would be, Middleton making his presence felt rather than simply being a cameo. A shrill scream for Nott feels like a rude awakening at the start of “Blood River“, the staccato riff breaks hitting steel fists over and over again to beat the living daylights out of you while still packing an unhealthy amount of groove. A quirky Jello Biafra like fleeting clean vocal and some whispered moments also impress and Nott demonstrates his range.

The second iconic vocalist to grace this record is Matthew K. Heafy of Trivium who lends his throat to the vicious little ditty that is “Sunrise, Parabellum“. A rampaging affair that plays out at breakneck speed, it finds Heafy return to his “Ember To Inferno” days for a couple of surprisingly harsh moments as the screams of “Prepare for f***ing war!” ring out like a shotgun blast. “A Shattered Visage Lies” maintains not only the incendiary energy levels but also the perpetual darkness of the record as the band skilfully avoid a soft centre or a power ballad by shattering every pane of glass in a hundred mile radius with feral screams and pounding percussion. Make no mistake, this is the soundtrack to the end of the World as we know it and it sounds ominous, foreboding and bloody brutal.

A sub-two minute affair “Accelerationist” is an absolute ripper in. A song with a name, it refers to someone who believes that current economic, technological or social systems like capitalism should be sped up in order to either trigger transformation or collapse. A rallying cry with a clenched fist, this one is front loaded with heavy Hardcore riffs as Nott sounds like King Cnut fighting against the tide. The difference is that this one, like so many here, is thought provoking and so it won’t take long for Nott to assemble an army of fans to fight this war.

Splitting the album in half like a hatchet to the skull is “The Agony of Peace“, a cut with a classic Melodic Death Metal lead lick to give it that melancholic edge straight from Gothenburg with love. Passing up the opportunity to do any clean vocals, Nott instead issues yet more bloodcurdling cries and the song becomes blackened by blast beats, the aching nature of the beast a leech that refuses to let go. That is of course part of the dark brilliance of Burner because they’re capable of twisting and contorting to offer up something darker at any given point, which exactly what the edge of the seat was made for. This one is nothing short or awe inspiring too.

“Wish Granter” might make you think of Peter Atkins’s Wishmaster as the pummelling percussion and sinister, ominous riffs batter you into submission, Bryant’s performance on the kit with some intricate fills amongst the finest on the record. It has to be said that the downtempo finale is an absolute master class before the final guest appearance, this time from Anthony Lucero of Cult Leader surfaces on “Kurtz“. A savage beating from start to finish, it feels like a tornado of souls destroying everything in its path as Burner push into Extreme Metal territory once one. Some of Nott’s vocals are reminiscent of Mike Williams from The Agony Scene on this one and the contrast between those and Lucero’s is well balanced.

Restless and relentless “My Hands Become Weapons” is another hammer blow with melodic leads and crushing rhythms, the ambient bridge for a spoken word sample a nice touch that fuels the atmospheric in a hitherto unheard fashion. That makes way for an epic grand finale at neck snapping speed as the riffs fly in all directions during another masterclass from Bryant behind the kit.

Taking its name from a traditional one on one fire bending honor dual “Agni Kai” is another eight minute approaching affair but don’t let the duration weigh heavy on your head because it’s almost like four tunes have been sandwiched together into one killer cut. It races out of the traps fast, beating you into submission in the first part before slowing for an atmospheric bridge in the middle third, the repeated screams of “If we can’t change ourselves then we must be living in hell!” so addictive that you might find yourself joining in on the first listen. The third movement is as savage as the first, the second song to reference the album title lyrically, the adrenaline pumping riffs and pulsating rhythms an intoxicating combination. An ambient melodic finale then plays out like a moment of clarity, offering pause for thought on what you’ve just heard, which as it happens is incredible [9/10]

Track Listing

1. The Third Revelation
2. What Will You Give? (ft. Josh Middleton of Sylosis)
3. Blood River
4. Sunrise, Parabellum (ft. Matthew K. Heafy of Trivium)
5. A Shattered Visage Lies
6. Accelerationist
7. The Agony of Peace
8. Wish Granter
9. Kurtz (ft. Anthony Lucero of Cult Leader)
10. My Hands Become Weapons
11. Agni Kai

“No One is Coming to Save Us” by Burner is out 26th September 2026 via Church Road Records