Review Summary: Very okay metal.
I haven’t listened to enough industrial metal lately to compare Heartlay to more than a few bands. However, I can say that ten years ago this album would’ve ripped. Tracks are composed with meaty grooves, and are equally mainstream. They’re more on the side of Celldweller than Fear Factory, and you know what, it’s great. Melodies breathe well among the heavy riffs, almost sounding like a throwback to early Red albums. The opener for As The One I Am though… woof, that’s a better entrance than Batman.
Sovereign Sore is uniquely magnetic. The main vocals have a great punk sound, not as standout as early Deathstars but somewhat memorable either way. How the heavy riffs and singing work together is candy. The guitar tone is magical, and the drum rhythm continues pouncing. The reliance on vocal melodies is the final ingredient to Heartlay’s atmospheric metal, and it’s completely dreamlike. The feeling of being submerged under water: it’s like that. It produces a gentle kind of pressure. That’s to say the production is quite good.
In the vast realm of industrial metal, Sovereign Sore is generic — that’s good. Sonically and stylistically, the album sounds like an old friend. The atmosphere is warm and immediately familiar, with heavy riffs to boot. But perhaps the album is too catering to old memories, and not quite cemented in a new era.
The consensus of tracks is like but not love. The riffs are mainly forgettable with some oober cool moments, but not enough to declare the album a banger. Likewise the singing is great and the songwriting is solid, but there’s not enough unexpected details. There’s barely any moments to get you jumping off your seat. It’s not music you’ll find further nuance in years from now, and most likely it’ll be a dine and dash experience. So come get your industrial metal fix if that’s your thing, but don’t expect moved mountains.
