While I’m not the biggest hardcore/metalcore fan (it’s all the screaming), when a band comes along with undeniable intensity and isn’t afraid to mix things up, it would be churlish not to give credit where credit’s due. And boy do Kent five-piece Cove deserve some credit for their mini album of heavy riffing, hard moshing bangers.
’We Were Once Lost’ opens with ’….’, thirty seconds of untitled doom-laden metal riffage that serves as a prelude to the all-out fury of ‘No Place’, which is stacked with pulsating riffs and classic heavy hardcore screaming. It does, however, take an atmospheric twist before the powerful searing finale; it’s a high benchmark and a strong indicator that Cove may well be a few steps ahead.
What sets this record apart is the superb guitar work from Ben Braizer and Pete Woolven; there’s a definite metal feel to the riffing, yet it’s all brilliantly worked to combine effortlessly with more traditional aspects of hardcore. ‘Dead Sea’, for example, possesses a rapid fire riff and a hard core groove, while slow boiler ‘Buried’ takes on a hint of thrash to accompany the social comment.
‘Sonder’ is a kind of ballad delivering two minutes of raw emotion and a superb vocal from Sam King to break up the intensive riffage, before the double barrelled assault of ‘Found At Last’ and first single ‘An Honour’. Hold on to your hats for the twists and turns of raging fury prior to an epic group chant that segues into the darkly intense album closer.
For such a new band, this is a superb debut album full of furious rage and seriously banging tunes. I love the energy and it never gets tired, they keep it fresh with a time change, or a new riff, or they switch up the vocals making for interesting arrangements and giving them their own identity – great work lads!
4.5/5
’We Were Once Lost’ EP by Cove is out now.
Cove links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)
