The Pitch: Virginia Beach metallic hardcore outfit Accident Prone follow up their popular 2016 release Love.Hate. with a new EP. FFO: Mouthbreather, 156/Silence, American Standards
What I Like: And the wheel keeps on turning. I realize that some of our readers may not be as keen on this genre, but I simply cannot deny the explosion of great metallic hardcore releases this year. Deep Wound Red is another one of those albums. Short and sweet, presented in just 15 minutes not unlike our recent coverage of Mouthbreather, this EP is a highly compressed package of goodies. The gurgly vocals are aggressive and profane and the riffs and mathcore elements keep the lesser-used neural pathways firing. I also appreciate the sporadic detours into melodic territory and oddball, unpolished vocal direction fall somewhere between Every Time I Die, These Arms Are Snakes. and early Poison The Well ("Despairado," "Yellow Spectacles"). These shifts manage to keep things interesting without feeling clumsy or pigeonholed into the songwriting.
Critiques: While I mostly appreciate the raw nature of the clean vocals, I find myself questioning how much of it is intentional. Particularly on "Despairado," there are moments that cross the line from "unpolished" to "this guy needs more vocal coaching." That may sound like a rip on the guy, but I'm trying to remain constructive.
The Verdict: Accident Prone have taken some significant strides forward from the already solid previous material. I think that the band could be a little more consistent and squeeze a few more standout moments from their less-is-more approach, but overall the result is still a winner.
Flight's Fav's: Jonestown Family Reunion, Deep Wound Red, Yellow Spectacles
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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