Germany’s Giver have been on a hard graft for the last couple of years, that has seen them put out two thunderous EPs as they hone their melodic hardcore sound. Their debut album, ‘Where the Cycle Breaks’, sees the band delve deeper into the hardcore subgenre to keep it burning bright, and the results are impressive.
It becomes abundantly clear who Giver’s influences are on ‘Where the Cycle Breaks’, with their explosive sound being very reminiscent of past melodic hardcore acts such as American Nightmare. The full-force, all unclean sound isn’t too common within the genre anymore, so it’s slightly refreshing to hear a band hark back to it.
Where Giver have the biggest impact is on their more adventurous songs. For example, the gang vocals on ‘Heart of Dark’ thrives on an intense yet fun energy making it one of the standout moments here. Whereas ‘The Terror Of Perfection’ goes through the motions with its relentless, compelling pace. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself screaming the words back with your fist in the air at their forthcoming shows.
On top of this, ‘Where the Cycle Breaks’ has impressive production quality, perhaps atypical of hardcore in many respects. Gone is the raw, basement sound, and instead in its place is one of the strongest bass tones on any release for a while. The unclean vocals, though constant, are strong and show no signs of wavering throughout the whole album. There’s little to no jumbling in the mix, as every instrument sounds distinct and crisp.
A harking back to an older sound doesn’t make for a reinvention of the wheel by any means, but it does breathe some fresh air into a genre that was getting all too repetitive. For a debut, Giver have successfully written an album with great promise, and are a band with strong potential for the future. Thrilling and passionate, Giver have given hardcore a well-delivered kickstart for the new year.
3.5/5
‘Where the Cycle Breaks’ by Giver is released on 26th January on Holy Roar Records and Powertrip Records.
Giver links: Facebook|Bandcamp
Words by Ben Mills (@BenMills28)
