Review Summary: This is why one of my favorite bands is E.R.R.A. The melody, technicality and vocals cannot be matched.
One day I was browsing on Itunes listening to “listeners also bought” and what a jewel I had found. Out of the many wasted dollars I had spent on bands that sounded good from the previews I had no idea that “Towers” would change my top five favorite bands. At this point, I was fairly new to “djent” and didn’t really know what to expect from this ep. What I got and what I expected was a completely different story.
“Towers” is ***ing incredible. I thought my ipod and myself would get bored from this song but after a plethora of listens I still love it. The intricate blend of melodic guitars and vocals opened my eyes to what I was looking for in a sea of metal mediocrity. The guitars a so well done that this album could have no vocalist and have an Animals As Leaders approach; I would still listen to it. However, what helps make this song good, is the lyrics and vocals. “The sun sets on the metropolis” and “And so these streetlights illuminate this collapse” are monuments to the expert song writing in this song. I actually could have just put the entire lyrics to this song but I’ll let you experience this masterpiece for yourselves.
“Separate and Coalesce” is a very close second and may even be interchangeable with “Towers” for the #1 spot. They both are very different songs but fairly evenly matched in greatness. Once again the guitar is incredible but I want to bring special attention to the solo in the dying minutes of the song. This solo was the current guitarists placement exam so to speak into this band. I had to listen to this a couple times to believe what I had heard. The solo and writing in this song is just straight up beautiful. Clean vocals are added into this song which is done extremely well. E.R.R.A. waste no time however and bombard the listener with a crushing breakdown. Another fantastic track and there are two more to go.
“Faction” takes the #3 spot not because it’s a bad track but because the other two are just so good that its no competition. There are no soaring guitar solos but it gives the listener something completely different from the other tracks. The paced is slowed down and would be similar to slowing down to admire a monument of some sort. The first two tracks would be like watching an action movie; it’s awesome but the pace is lightning fast. By “slowed down” I mean that more time is spent on the technicality and calculated riffs to give the listener something different. I would check this one out as well.
“Dissentention” reveals a different side of E.R.R.A. The before it relied on melody and technicality to keep the listeners attention. “Dissentention” strayed from the path but kept its technicality. The song brings to life breakdowns that are technical and interesting at the same time. Neither of the breakdowns rely on each other or follow the same pattern or timing then the other. The melodity is dropped but fast double bass is interested to keep attention of the listener. I would say that this is my least favorite song on the album. But I say that as someone would say “this right here is my least favorite Ferrari”. Its still a Ferrari but just as good as the other.
Do not listen to this if:
• You are not a fan of talented metal bands (then go listen to Emmure dumbass)
• You hate melody or well done song writing
Listen to this if:
• You love djent
• Guitars tickle your fancy
• Awesome vocals and lyrics get you all “hot and bothered”
Recommended Tracks:
The whole goddam thing; it’s that good!
