Review Summary: Beartooth make little effort to reinvent the wheel, but deliver a solid follow up to their 2014 debut.
In the wake of Attack! Attack!'s breakup, Caleb Shomo disappeared from the public eye for a moment and reemerged with Beartooth's debut EP, 2013's Sick. Fast forward to an album and a few lineup changes later, the band have returned with Aggressive. Living up to its name, the album is filled with angsty lyrics, "jump the ***" up riffs and infectious hooks. Shomo demonstrates a strong ability to find a smooth balance between raging metalcore and poppy, radio rock.
To put it simply, the band have not changed. At all. They still follow relatively the same formula, but with room for expansion. Classic heavy-hitters like "Always Dead" and "Burnout" are sure to satisfy the average headbanger. After all, who wouldn't lose their mind over Shomo shouting "what?" right before a heavy, drop-tuned riff kicks in. The band also move forward from straight hardcore, with songs like "Hated" and "King of Anything", the latter featuring one lone guitar and all clean vocals.
To keep this short, it's unlikely that fans of the band's past work will dislike this album. From front to back, the album packs a hell of a punch. Is it a groundbreaking musical revolution? Absolutely not. But Beartooth do what they've always done best: angsty but catchy metalcore. The band have created a hardcore album that is a step above their contemporaries by keeping it heavy, but proving there's room to expand on future releases. "Aggressive" is a superbly well-written powerhouse all the way through sure to keep most happy and head banging.
