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Kelly Murray on Every Time I Die's new album, released last week on Epitaph
This is album number five for the Buffalo, NY, boys and the first on their new label Epitaph. Front fella Keith Buckley said this album would be bursting with a work ethic he'd not seen for some years, suggesting it would cause an impact on fans because it's not the natural progression for his band, but rather "an evolutionary leap". He's not even being smug; New Junk Aesthetic is everything you'd want an ETID album to be; exploding with aggression, way heavier riffs than common sense tells you to listen to, and throughout, the ever-impressive lyricism of one Keith Buckley. Completed by guitarist brother (and monster illustrator) Jordan, second six-stringer Andy Williams and the crotch-bulging bass skills of John Newton, ETID have leaped into the undeniable direction of fearlessness. And fuck, as if the brothers Buckley and co didn't have the word epic nailed for this album, they've brought in two singers who, along with Buckley, make up a Bermuda Triangle of vocal talent; it's a dynamic that isn't found in your average front man, yet with Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato and Matt Caughthran of The Bronx, these guest spots create a trio of tornados that refuse to show any leniency.
This is not for the faint or the narrow minded.
Opener 'Roman Holiday' draws you immediately into the metal-core carnage of things to come, summed up with the belief that "We are the life of the funeral". 'The Marvellous Slut' meanwhile is home to Puciato, and as expected is a double helping of what we'll call 'the sex'; this shit is addictive. On the devilish, stand-out track 'Wanderlust', ETID's trademark punk n' roll southern rock riffs accompany the short, sharp shocks seen on well-known earlier works like 'Hot Damn!' and my, do we like the mix. The ethereal chants on 'White Smoke' leave a contrast lingering between purity and rebellion. "Morals are just a matter of time/and where you lay your head is a question of pride" belts Buckley, juxtaposed with some softer southern undertones. 'The Sweet Life' offers Buckey's assurance that "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride/ain't nothing gonna slow me down" which is reinforced by Caughthran's loaned raspy growls in the form of a venomous epiphany, "Bad women and lack of ambition keep a good man bed-ridden/ Jesus Christ, I am forever making the same mistakes." It's a wonderful chaos, the sort that makes you fear for the mental health of its makers, and the type you can't help but get involved with. New Junk Aesthetic isn't just integral to the evolution of modern hardcore; it's an album of evolved integrity. It will seep into your nervous system and potentially destroy your ability to feel sad. ETID make you feel like an indestructible eight tonne robot and when hardcore rock uses the deadliest of audio ammunition to blow up the idea of rules within music, there's no better feeling than knowing you'll never fall out of love with your records.
Dillinger, Bronx and ETID all portray their destructive tendencies as live bands, really bringing their releases to life, and as these Buffalo rangers gear up for a UK tour at the end of the year, they raise hope, bruise defeat and satisfy their ever-growing eclectic fan base.
Rockstar Taste Of Chaos Tour Dates:
27 November O2 Academy, Glasgow
28 November O2 Academy, Bristol
30 November The Academy, Newcastle
1 December The Academy, Birmingham
2 December The Academy, Manchester
3 December Hammersmith Apollo, London
Tags: every time i die etid epitaph new junk aesthetic kelly murray candid fever
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