Review Summary: A straight-forward, hard-hitting EP
After listening to
Nomads, it’s hard to think that Liferuiner used to be a band whose sole purpose was to make fun of ‘straight-edge’ bands. Their previous outings,
No Saints and
Taking Back the Nightlife, were purposefully terrible, mocking the way in which said bands preached hatred instead of acceptance. After reuniting and releasing the much more mature
Future Revisionists LP, Liferuiner are back with an EP sure to pump you up.
Degeneration X sets the tone for the EP nicely, showcasing Liferuiner’s crunchy guitar work and potent vocals. Jonny O’Callaghan’s vocal range, while not extremely diverse, is straight-forward and forceful. His mid-range scream carries the songs nicely, never feeling unneeded. The same can surprisingly be said for the many breakdowns; they have a purpose and hit hard. This is mainly due to the crisp guitar work from Mike Short, which varies what could otherwise have been a boring EP; his riffs are catchy and his ability to play a hard-hitting breakdown is refreshing. Both bass and drums from Burton Lavery and Terrance Pettitt respectively are left to the background, but provide what is needed to make the guitar and vocals so memorable.
Lost & Found is a great example, starting fast and never letting up, quickly transitioning into a memorable breakdown.
Clocking in at just under fourteen minutes,
Nomads is a short but sweet EP. Although not straying far from their metalcore roots, Liferuiner are able to provide a great guitar and vocal performance to differentiate themselves from the others. If anything,
Nomads proves that Liferuiner aren’t the band you used to know, and are a force to be reckoned with.
