Having been grinding away for a decade, As Everything Unfolds‘ patience had paid off in recent years with two well-received albums, elevating them to tours alongside Electric Callboy and Bury Tomorrow. However, their trajectory came to a halt in 2024 with the unexpected passing of drummer Jamie Gowers. His loss understandably affected the remaining members, especially his partner and vocalist Charlie Rolfe. With their third album, ‘Did You Ask To Be Set Free?’, recorded mere months after his passing, there’s an element of grief and mourning that seeps through.
Styletically, AEU continue to build on their genre-crossing brand of metalcore, whether that be on the synth-heavy ‘Reverie’ or ‘Set In Flow’s drum’n’ bass adrenaline rush. However, the quartet, completed by Adam Kerr (guitar), George Hunt (bass), and Jon Cassidy (keyboards/synthesisers), know that polished melodic metalcore is their strong point. ‘ Did You Ask…’ offers a handful of high-octane highlights AEU‘s strengths. For example, ‘Gasoline’ is a blistering offering with an incredibly catchy chorus that is quickly paired up with ‘Point of View’. It’s here that Rolfe’s powerful voice shines through. Likewise, the album’s opening track, ‘Denial,’ is elevated by her towering vocals.
As ‘Did You Ask…’ moves forward, AEU serve up a mixed bag of genre-blurring alt-metal. One moment, there’s ‘Cut The Lies’ with its pumping groove, that blends electronica into their musical fabric, the next serving up throwaway tracks like ‘Break It Away’. Here is the glaring problem with ‘Did You Ask…’ While Rolfe routinly shines in the vocal department, there are moments that feel routine, and in places, flat. Even on the ravenous ‘What You Wanted,’ with Bury Tomorrow’s Dani Winter-Bates, and equally heavy ‘idols,’ you can’t help but feel somewhat unengaged with what the quartet are delivering. When they do attempt to do something different, like on the pulsating synth-laden ‘Reverie,’ it doesn’t quite hit the desired mark.
In short, what As Everything Unfolds is doing musically is simply fine. Nevertheless, credit has to be given to Rolfe’s songwriting. Throughout, she proves to be introspective, exploring depth and contemplating the fine line between reality and dreaming. It provides a solid lyrical narrative that flows throughout. The finale pairing of ‘Edge of Forever’ and ‘Setting Sun’ provides some form of closure. On the former, they take a balladic route which glistens in a cathartic manner. The latter is sturdy, elevated by a rising chorus and stirring guitar riff, before ending on an ominous synth-led note.
Although this isn’t their best record, ‘Did You Ask To Be Set Free?’ is sure to maintain As Everything Unfolds‘ trajectory. If anything, it is the factor that they’ve shown determination to continue while navigating through loss that, at a minimum, they should be praised for.
‘Did You Ask To Be Set Free? by As Everything Unfolds is available now on Century Media.
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