Review Summary: Another deathcore band jumps ship into nu metal territory
It's pretty much accepted nowadays that deathcore is a dying breed. While there are still a number of bands trying to keep the genre alive, the scene appears to have lost its interest as many of the leading figures of the 00s scene have branched out into new territories (more often than not nu metal) with differing results. While acts like Bring Me the Horizon completely abandoned deathcore and metalcore to commercial acclaim and Whitechapel earned critical plaudits for their diversifying sound, there's been plenty of Emmures and now Suicide Silences to follow. The latest act to jump from deathcore's sinking ship into the nu metal revival is Taiwan's Beyond Cure. Not many will have heard of them in the West, but in their homeland they are a pretty popular deathcore band, even including Chthonic frontman-turned-politician Freddy Lim on 2012's "Defiance". Now they've released a new album which comes quite left-field of what they'd previously offered, with a new vocalist at the helm
Straight from opener "We Lit", it's clear that the dark themes of the past have been subdued for shallower themes of weed and money, with new vocalist Bat almost rapping at times over a stomping nu metal groove. There are moments which feel like they haven't completely abandoned their heavier roots, with the occasional beatdown and blastbeat slipping into the structures. "Divide" and "THC" might fool you into thinking they still have a full deathcore song left with the way it opens, but it doesn't take long for things to change direction once again with Bat's vocal delivery attempting to emulate something between Korn and Slipknot during the verses of "Divide" - while "THC" comes closest to their old sound. The moody piano layered among the relentless drumming and detuned guitars give "THC" a considerably heavier feel than the rest of the tracks, with Bat screaming the whole way through and really hitting the gutturals with full force. It's something that fans of the band will miss if the rest of the EP is indicative of Beyond Cure's future direction.
However, it really does feel as though Beyond Cure are just another band that's simply following the crowd as more and more bands appear to be leaving the typical deathcore/metalcore sounds and attempting to appeal to a new audience with these bastardization that is commonly referred to as nu metalcore. Those who know this band will be aware of what they are capable of and the darker, nihilistic approach that won over the likes of Freddy Lim in the past feel long gone. If you want something basic but aggressive with predictable yet catchy grooves, you'll probably enjoy this EP. The deathcore fans will enjoy the tracks which hark back to BC's classic sound ("THC" and "Fly Deeply") but might be turned off by the nu metal driven songs. In all honesty though, it's not really anything they haven't heard before. Enjoyable, with good execution and enough variety to at least keep it interesting over 5 tracks (the other 5 are simply instrumental), but ultimately forgettable in the long run.
