They say that music reflects the times, and I think that is definitely the case with the current trend of metalcore. It is emotionally-charged, multi-layered, aggressive and there is so much going on that it’s kind of difficult to focus on anything specific.

As exponents of their art, The Five Hundred tick all the boxes listed above, especially on opening/title track ‘Winters’, which starts out hard then proceeds to get more and more intense. It’s all pretty furious, with about five different riffs and the signature metalcore vocals intertwined with the occasional burst of more melodic style.

‘Come Closer’ is more epic, but is no less chaotic or heavy. Speaking of which, there is a monumentally heavy bass line on ‘Shutter to the Light’, which also features another array of attack-minded riffs, with a smattering of old-school thrash influence between the lines. ‘The Cannibal Hordes’ is a bit more grinding and does actually sound like it’s soundtracking an attack of the hordes.

So in the end it is all very metalcore, like a badass heavy barrage of information – sign of the times I guess.

3.5/5

‘Winters’ EP by The Five Hundred is out now.

The Five Hundred links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)