Review Summary: Resilience is a rare gem that flies under the radar.
Hailing from Porto, Forbidden to Fly are a metalcore quintet who released their debut EP titled Resilience in the middle of 2016. Clocking in at 20 minutes, it's truly remarkable how much material they managed to condense into these 5 tracks. Packed to the brim with fantastic riffs and breakdowns which are accompanied with great drumming, a strong vocal delivery, some melodic sections and even a bit of electronics to keep it fresh, Resilience simply refuses to be boring.
Every song on the record has their defining personality to themselves and shine in their own way. The track order is quite smart; the EP begins with the two more easily digestible ones before the other songs veer off into heavier areas.
Right off the bat, Shrine of Enmity greets the listener with an electronic tune and a chorus that are both awfully catchy. The former would easily feel at home on a deathcore release, and this is not the only instance where the music incorporates elements from that genre.
Then things take a surprising melodic turn on Sanguine, the EP's second track. Even though it's the slowest song on here, it doesn't hinder the flow of the record by any means. It has a refreshingly positive feel with a melodic, guitar-driven ending.
The next two tracks, The Devourer and Purge are both anger-filled, uncompromising riff-fests with some deathcore and electronic elements sprinkled on top for good measure. They might blend together during the initial listens, but while the former mostly keeps its metalcore sound, the latter ventures into deathcore territory a bit more bravely, thus separating these two from each other.
The last track, Anti-Life Equation, is the highlight of the record that showcases every single strength Resilience has to offer. The heavy riffs, the crushing breakdowns, the frantic drumming, the diverse vocals, the deathcore influence, the melodies, the electronics; they're all there, wrapped up in a neat package as to remind the listeners what have transpired in these 20 minutes. It's a real beast of a song, easily worthy to represent the whole EP.
The lyrics are mostly deathcore-influenced and each of them mirror the feel of the accompanying track pretty well.
The production quality is ridiculously great. Of course, your mileage may vary, but as for me, this is the best sounding record I've heard so far. There's no "wall of sound" here, everything is crystal clear and audible, nothing gets drowned out or lost in the mix.
All in all, while Resilience might not be groundbreaking, it is a damn fine example of how metalcore can still sound fresh, and I think it deserves way more attention.
