Review Summary: History is coming, the future is gone.
The human race is pretty stupid at times. Think about it; for all the advancements in technology we’re still able to repeat mistakes and ignore obvious reasons to change. It seems our species is at a fault with itself—doomed to repeat itself until extinction. That’s the wide scope of the human’s natural flaw, highlighted by some, if not most of the globe’s current issues. Pandemics, riots, brutality, murder, isolation and depression have caused strife around the world in a number of ways and while some of these issues have multi-generational consequences, humanity itself hasn’t figured out how to move past (or rectify) issues that reach around Earth.
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, comes Aversions Crown and their fourth record,
Hell Will Come For Us All. Still, a fourth record should identify well with a band on their stride and yet, the album sees the group’s third vocalist in the spotlight, comparable to the screamers that paved the way for Aversions Crown’s growing success thus far.
Hell Will Come For Us All however shares its release time slot with a world of poignant themes. While Tyler Miller’s vocal chops may find themselves under more scrutiny than what would be considered normal at this time, it’s the album’s overall lyrical themes that focus the spotlight on centre stage. The ominous tones that lace the opening moments of “The Soil” set the album’s atmosphere before a swath of blast beats and break neck guitar riffs dominate the mix. Miller’s vocals (to no shock) are a mix of mid to low growls that lack some of the dexterity and diversity of the band’s vocal forebears, but he still manages to encapsulate the rage and furor typical of the Brisbane deathcore enthusiasts’ brand.
“Born In The Gutter” however, stands as the album’s contextual centrepoint, articulating the divide between the rich, poor and disadvantaged and with all the strife in today’s current climate dealing with prejudice and double standards, it’s tracks like this that can relate to a listener; transferring subject matter when needed. However, it’s decently clear that
Hell Will Come For Us All isn’t exactly an innovative piece. Deathcore is still plagued by a slow to no evolution within the genre, side-stepping trends and gimmicks in order to offer worthwhile, revolutionary sounds and despite the overbearing hyperbole found in a statement like that, Aversions Crown’s newest slab isn’t overly hampered by the unmoving nature of the genre. Instead, the group’s 2020 effort continues dropping meaty, eight stringed guitar riffs with all manners of gnarly sonic devastation in mind.
Cuts like “Caught In The System” continue in much the same way as the tracks that come before it. Miller’s use of title hooks allow for a certain level of replay-ability and also give the album’s tracks a sense of individuality in spite of the consistently similar sonic landscapes to which Aversions Crown craft their music on. The album’s title track maintains the pure furor and rage, but provides the record’s most prevalent display of melody. Guitar leads billow out from behind an onslaught of blasts and breakneck riffs. Sure, Miller’s growls remain consistently pushed to the front of the mix, but sinister tones and mood shifting melodies creep in on the album’s atmosphere—giving life to music that prefaces darker motifs. As
Hell Will Come For Us All progresses into its latter half it becomes clear that the album’s back half is stronger than the first. “Scourge Of Violence” is a devastating display of the Aversions Crown brand, combining their a-typical barrage of instruments with underlying eerie atmosphere and catchy, breakneck, proficient musicianship. Although these tracks are singularly impressive, Aversions Crown still has a tendency to blur between songs and these great individual moments fall victim to the predictability of a merry-go-round.
Hell Will Come For Us All conforms to the same structural patterns that make it a safe, albeit predictable listen that depreciates the album’s overall replay values and lessens the sum of its parts.
When we take Aversions Crown’s fourth studio effort at face value it’s easy to see why a change of vocalist (again) would impact them. Despite the line up change,
Hell Will Come For Us All doesn’t exactly falter in this regard, which is at odds with my previous assumption of the band’s new music. Aversions Crown’s safe deathcore formula has enough staying value to ensure old and new fans can adapt to this ‘change’ of guard.
Hell Will Come For Us All may have arrived at a poignant time within the human race’s history—and yet, it’s concept may see a larger grasp on any number of themes. It’s not a perfect album by any means, but it’s solid enough to ensure that the Aversions Crown story continues, once again, to move forwards.
