Review Summary: Cruise control on, direction south
Changing direction can really work in some cases. It can bring in new fans and reinvigorate bands once thought creatively bankrupt. Unfortunately, 2024 is not full of such cases, and this album is no exception.
The main issue with this album is that it feels like Erra on cruise control. It doesn’t feel like any member is really trying to push themselves forward. Everyone except for JT Cavey sounds a bit deflated in comparison to their previous work. The guitarwork is still stellar in its technical ability, the lyrics are still top notch, and all members are playing very competently. But that’s just it. It’s competent, but it’s just not very interesting. JT is the only member who is really going for it on every song (bar a couple of tracks) and he is the one member that really knocks it out of the park. He elevates the music from what would have been mediocrity. However, Jesse, one of the main draws of the band, seems to not be putting much effort in vocally. It’s almost non-existent. I’m not complaining about the fact that his voice is at a lower register than it was before in most songs. Years of high-pitched vocals must really take it out of you. But it seems like he’s almost given up.
Maybe that’s what they’re going for. Trying to reflect some abstract notion of giving up in a world that’s falling apart and expressing rage while still having hope for a cure. But even still, it could work a lot better than it does in its real-world execution.
The whole album is a bit slower in speed and mood, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If they are trying to be brooding and introspective, it works emotionally. I definitely felt something, and the atmosphere is there, but this unfortunately collapses in most songs when Jesse starts singing. It’s almost as if they spend the song inflating a balloon and then Jesse comes in and bursts it, only for it to be inflated again and the process repeats.
The riffs are not particularly interesting either. None of them stand out in any meaningful way. And this is a band which has previously been known for injecting some creativity and proving that metalcore is more than just breakdowns and cringy album covers. Telling you a stand-out riff from their previous albums is fairly easy, but here it is almost impossible. Every song just blends together to be indistinguishable from one another, despite each song having its own vibe.
There are some highlights in the form of Idle Wild and Wave, but Wave is frustratingly the final track and the only track which Erra approaches what they are truly capable of. This song is also somehow too short in that it ends too abruptly, despite its 5-minute runtime. It’s as if the whole album is Erra sinking into the depths and then coming out of the other side a better band; which works better as a concept than it does in reality.
One thing I will say in its favour is that the production is a lot better. Their self-titled was slightly too compressed for my liking, despite being an absolutely brilliant album otherwise. Here, everything sounds a lot clearer and punchier. The atmosphere works too. It fully succeeds in creating a pleasant enough vibe to carry you through to the end of the album. It’s like floating down a slow river with a pleasant enough view, with JT being the only one doing the rowing and the rest just chilling out.
There are also some attempts to introduce new elements like a brief almost-techno section in Slow Sour Bleed. And in a couple of songs, Jesse actually puts the effort in; Past Life Persona and End to Excess stand out for this reason. Funnily enough, these are also the songs where Jesse returns to the higher vocals he is known for. One other interesting aspect is that while some songs are slightly longer than usual, they never feel like it. Some songs are 5 minutes long, but they really don’t feel like 5 minutes. I can’t tell if this is because I occasionally got lost in the music or if (much like a plane journey), I zoned out for an hour and suddenly it’s over.
But a lot of the time, it’s creatively lazy. Glimpse is essentially the same note over and over again for 4 minutes. Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven is the most boring Erra song in recent memory, and I can’t even tell you what their most boring song is. The chorus of Cure is something I have definitely heard before, but I can’t quite put my finger on where. On top of that, it feels as is if they have recycled some parts of the previous album. There are hints of Memory Fiction in places. And the middle section in Blue Reverie is exactly the same as the middle section in House of Glass. Sure, this may be a homage to their previous work. But within the context of the rest of the album, this seems like laziness to me. There are moments where the interest is brought back briefly, but it’s inconsistent and too little too late.
I don’t begrudge Erra for making this album. They are all very skilled musicians and you can’t keep making the same album over and over again. This album works in that it creates an atmosphere, it’s still lyrically interesting, and JT is the one saving it from being painfully average. It’s not a bad album by any means. It’s just lacking any specific thing that holds your interest for long enough to really appreciate it. I hope they can find a new creative streak for their next release, because otherwise one of metalcore’s leading forces will find themselves at the back of the pack, where they clearly don’t belong.
