Review Summary: Beautycore?
Beautycore: A mixture of hard rock and metalcore, played exclusively by women. This “new” genre was first employed by Gold Frankincense & Myrrh (GFM) in their debut EP
Death of Giants. Taking influence from bands like A Day to Remember and I Prevail, GFM perform the same hard rock style as their influencers, just only played by women being the major difference. With their first full length album,
Identity Crisis boasts a dark, heavy metal sound juxtaposed by positive and uplifting lyrics. Musically speaking, the trio of sisters perform at quite an impressive level. Most of the album contains a concoction of distorted guitar, dark bass supporting the latter, pummeling, double bass laden drums, and a mixture of clean and harsh vocals. Although the sound tends to pertain to an aggressive sound as showcased in “Graveyard of Identities,” the album also mixes in more melodic elements in “Chatter in the Room” and upbeat rock in songs like “Evil Lies.”
Taking the responsibilities of guitar, CJ creates intense, down tuned guitar riffs mixed with power chord reliant choruses. From the fast-paced riffing of “Graveyard of Secrets” to the soaring, melodic guitars within the pre-chorus of “Twisted Humanity,”
Identity Crisis contains a surprisingly decent amount of diversity spread throughout the course of the album. Although generally focused on aggressive power chord progressions, CJ also shows her ability to create melody in the face of heaviness with a few scattered solos in “Darkness” and “Judas Kiss.” Supporting her sister, Maggie compliments CJ with bass that follows many of the guitar riffs. This support gives heavier, darker sound to the already intense sound of GFM’s sound, providing a deeper, brooding undertone. However, that’s not to say that the bass doesn’t bring much to the table. In fact, the bass enhances the verses of songs like “Beneath the Skin” and “Evil Lies,” continuing the role of CJ even when there is no guitar in sight. Tying the whole sound together is the impressive performance of Lulu on drums. Relying on a more metalcore-based drumming style,
Identity Crisis is full to the brim with booming, driving drums. Double bass control is key in songs like “Beneath the Skin” and “Graveyard of Identities” while songs like “Evil Lies” display a more rhythmic, simpler drum groove that still manages to remain interesting.
Accompanying the rather skillful instrumentation (considering age, especially), CJ and Maggie show off their vocal abilities throughout
Identity Crisis. Mixing dark cleans with fierce harsh screams, GFM creates a rather intense atmosphere implanted in the album. From the scattered yells of “Graveyard of Identities” to the soaring, melodies of “Twisted Humanity,” CJ and Maggie put on a performance one could consider “above average,” but nothing absolutely amazing. However, “Chatter in the Room” blows the rest of the album’s vocals out of the water, emphasizing on full, harmonized vocals, taking a break from the focal point of aggression expressed within the other songs. With CJ and Maggie harmonizing along with each other, “Chatter in the Room” remains a standout of the album, as it keeps the dark atmosphere of the album while proving their ability to compose an amazing ballad.
Although this is GFM’s first and only album (as of now), this debut will be hard to top. By no means is it a perfect album, but it has its moments of genuine fun, making for a great album overall. What the band sometimes lacks in vocals is clearly made up by the consistently great instrumentation, resulting in a consistent album that increases in quality with each continued listen.
