Review Summary: The elder ones modernized.
New Dying Wish is endearing. Odd thought to have about something as visceral and mosh-centered as this melodic-core behemoth is, but to contextualize this think about the modern state of metalcore. There are more scenes and offshoots than there has probably ever been mind you, but I think a good portion of what is out there as of now can fall neatly into “eject all else, HEAVY is objective” (Knocked Loose, Jesus Piece, Paleface) or “we’re vaguely proggers and kind of dig odd time signatures” (think Polaris, ERRA, Invent Animate, etc.). That is not to diminish that some of these bands actually rule or even to say that this stark but rather orchestrated contrast is a bad thing, but rather that it lends a great level excitement to this listener when a band can sound like a modernized variation of the sweet nostalgic foundations that the bands who steamrolled the genre founded. In the case of Dying Wish, think Killswitch Engage-style guitar riffs meets early Parkway Drive-style chugs and groove orientations with a healthy sprinkling of lush, bombastic clean vocals and an even more gluttonous smattering of scathing witchy snarls. Oh yeah baby, it rips.
Symptoms of Survival operates on varying degrees of intensity, from the d-beat style romp of the t/t to the wickedly fun tremolos about 1 minute into “Path to Your Grave” to an emotive intensity that shrouds much of back half of that same track via sweet, sweet loving melodies and a voice that is seraphical when juxtaposed to the gnarled screams heard prior. It’s all rather straightforward, with few punches actually pulled, but that all becomes menial when the well drawn from emerges still so clean, still with so much clarity for a band so early in their career. To say the least, Dying Wish has a vision of passion and anger and love that is already realized so damn well, in its piercing, melodic, and unabashedly chuggy glory. It’s a lazy and almost meaningless statement to eschew that a band “has heart”, but in the case of this record, it is on those glorious wings it rides. So embrace it or reject it-those staccato chugs on “Hell’s Final Blessing”, the abso-***ing-lutely ethereal marriage of sweet/smooth guitar scalings and soft-backing cleans on “Torn From Your Silhoutte”, the unstoppable catharsis of “Lost in the Fall”-if you choose the former, kick it back with me and join in the relentless windmill/headbang assault I am committing to as I write this. May my laptop fear for its safety.
