Review Summary: Everything you'd hope this band would be and more.
Thoughtcrimes had a lot of expectations to live up to. This is only natural when your drummer is Billy Rymer, a former member of The Dillinger Escape Plan, which is a band that is a pioneer of the mathcore genre. Not only are these expectations met, the album has exceeded them making it an essential listen for fans of the chaotic genre.
It is clear from the very start that
Altered Pasts have taken a few cues from The Dillinger Escape Plan handbook with it’s well implemented experimentation, frantic flurries of panic chords, chugging riffs and intense screams. This is why
Panopticon is the perfect opener for this album, as it perfectly introduces us to the band's sound while also hinting towards its more experimental touches.
Deathbed Confessions is one of the album's most intense songs, with pounding drums dominating the mix and varied vocal lines ranging from high screams to low growls. The drums take centre stage once more on the second half of
Conscience on Tilt. It is creative and adds a lot of energy to the calmer moments of the song.
Dare I Say is yet another hectic cut. There is a really strong moment where they repeat this sludgy riff with it increasing in speed each time until it detonates into this extremely heavy section filled with fierce low growls.
Keyhole Romance stands among the album's highlights with its cleanly sung chorus and its creative use of strings. At the song's final moments, it morphs into a riff filled nightmare containing hellish screams, and it is exceptional.
Altered Pasts contains two interludes, one is the title track and the other is
Hai Un Accendio. The title track is this industrial piece that feels ultimately unneeded as it doesn’t really accomplish much. It also doesn’t help that it is really close to the other interlude in the tracklisting, causing an issue with pacing in the middle of the record. The second interlude is much better. It is this spoken word track that builds up in instrumentation until it ends in a satisfying crescendo.
The band is not just blatantly copying what made The Dillinger Escape Plan successful, however, as it is evident that the band has its own unique sound.
New Infinities focuses on melody with it’s more restrained, grunge inspired riffing. Rick Pepa’s vocals shine on this track with a powerful performance during the chorus and some Deftones-esque croons in the verses. Classical flourishes are added here where strings take over the melody, which only boosts this song's enjoyability. While
Panopticon and
Mirror Glues may seem like the usual intense and frenzied sound at first, the band incorporates moments of electronic beats which further shows Thoughtcrimes versatility.
Lunar Waves ends the record on a subdued cut with catchy vocal melodies and atmospheric guitar lines. It is not only a satisfying conclusion to
Altered Pasts, but it is also dynamic one with its noisy yet melodic final minutes.
Overall,
Altered Pasts is one of the strongest mathcore releases in a while with its excellent performances and enjoyable experimentation. The riffs are sporadic, the vocals are powerful and harsh, and the drums are intense. All it really suffers from is a slight pacing issue. Even then, from beginning to end, the album has multiple standout songs and moments. If you are a fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan, this is a must listen as it captures a similar sound while also being its own independent and unique work.
