Review Summary: A fantastic progression.
Funnily enough, Volumes was my gateway into anything ‘heavy’-eqsue. The simpler time of exploring music through full albums posted on YouTube, I somehow stumbled my way onto
Via, a 50-minute, low-tuned chug-fest that never strayed away from hitting you with breakdown after breakdown. The album, though tiring at times, was a genuinely great mix of chunky guitars and vocals that bounced off one another, and gave birth to one of the genre’s best songs in ‘Edge of the Earth’. What was expected from this, then, was natural progression. And if
No Sleep is anything to go by, we certainly got what we wanted.
The most noticeable difference between this and their debut is the overall scope. Whilst
Via suffered from samey songs that continually overstayed their welcome,
No Sleep perfectly nails the length by incorporating far more standard song structures. Although this can be a curse for most, the implementation of this helps immensely for a band lacking identity. Songs like ‘Across the Bed’ and ‘Vahle’ are built around a chorus lead by the recent addition of Michael Barr’s clean vocals, and propel the songs to yet unreached heights. And although heavier cuts such as ‘91367’ and ‘Pistol Play’ persist, they’re taken with far more care, and provide a much larger sense of variety than anything from their previous outings. Speaking of Barr’s vocals, his tone and range in both harsh and clean vocals provide some much-needed meat to the Volumes sandwich. His distinct sound far outdoes anything fellow vocalist Gus Farias accomplishes on the album, carrying many tracks on the album. ‘Across the Bed’ has a fantastic high-range chorus, and ‘Erased’ shows a more reserved but equally fantastic performance. This doesn’t apply to all songs however; ‘Vahle’, the longest song on the album, perfectly mixes both of their vocal styles into a five-minute track that doesn’t drag nearly as much as is expected. The Barr-led chorus soars brilliantly and is backed up by a great performance from both vocalists.
Although metalcore is constantly held down by unimaginative guitars and drums, Volumes uses this to their advantage. Though never straying too far from the top end of the guitar, Diego Farias puts on a serviceable performance that remains consistent throughout. However, when he does stray from his typical chords, it provides a much more complete listen, with ‘Neon Eyes’ proving a far better song with its sudden shift in tone midway through the song. Despite some fantastic songs throughout, the album does tend to shift drastically from time to time, resulting in a jarring listen. Both interlude tracks ‘Better Half’ and ‘Peace of Mind’ feel incredibly unnecessary and add very little. Additionally, opener ‘The Mixture’, though a great heavy track, feels odd listed as the first track, due to both not being indicative of the overall album, and being followed up by the far superior ‘91367’.
Despite these minor gripes,
No Sleep delivers on what fans were expecting from Volumes; a more fleshed-out, fully realised listening experience. The progression from
Via is incredibly noticeable, and provides a great sense of completion. The inclusion of Michael’s clean vocals adds a distinctive layer to the band’s previously ‘samey’ sound, and carries a large array of songs, leaving much of the band to let him let loose. And although this can at-times interfere with the dynamic of two vocalists, for Volumes, it works fantastically, resulting in a fantastic listen.
