In their 10 years together, Southampton’s Bury Tomorrow have had their fair share of ups and downs. From being on the brink of calling it quits five years ago to releasing three warmly received albums, the quintet have fought through struggles to lead a crop of UK metalcore bands alongside the likes of Architects and, to a lesser extent, the expansive Bring Me The Horizon. Having grown in stature, Bury Tomorrow now find themselves on the edge of bursting through a glass ceiling to bigger and better things. Simply put, you could consider ‘Earthbound’ to be a make-or-break record.
The early signs are promising as ‘The Eternal’ provides an eruption of battling drums and crunching guitars. It’s clear from the start they are a band with intent. Dan Winter-Bates’ vocals are as vicious as ever, whilst guitarists Jason Cameron and Kristan Dawson lay down mighty and domineering riffs; a trait that remains intact throughout ‘Earthbound’.
Recent single, ‘Last Light’, bridges the gap between ‘Runes’ and ‘Earthbound’ with its melodic edge and drilling riff, yet it keeps the band’s aggressive momentum consistent. Meanwhile, the title track proves to be a pulsating number that highlights Cameron’s soaring vocal abilities.
‘Cemetery’, ‘Restless and Cold’ and ‘Memories’ highlight BT’s tighter presentation. As a unit, they’ve never sounded better. The rhythm combination of drummer Adam Jackson and bassist Davyd Winter-Bates compliments the assaulting guitars provided by Cameron and Dawson, with Dan’s roaring delivery topping things off. The noteworthy ‘Memories’ is required listening; structurally compelling with fierce breakdowns and spiralling guitars.
However, for all the improvements ‘Earthbound’ contains, tracks like ‘The Burden’ and ‘For Us’ don’t push the band’s sound and come off as formulaic. Nevertheless, this is a minor blip for a band that manages to maintain their musical growth.
Whilst other bands from the genre have opted to take a more accessible approach, Bury Tomorrow have stuck to their roots with ‘Earthbound’; raw, unrelenting and packed full of “mosh-made” anthems (see ‘301’ ft Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta). Throughout, there is an urgency that doesn’t let up thus making ‘Earthbound’ a juggernaut of a record. Consider that glass ceiling well and truly smashed!
4/5
‘Earthbound’ by Bury Tomorrow is released on January 29th on Nuclear Blast Records.
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Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)
