Review Summary: Employed To Serve go m(/)e(n)tal
The only thing that gets me more riled up than Employed To Serve’s typical fury of riffs is how insanely underappreciated the entirety of the post-Holy Roar UK -core scene is. Spotify numbers may not be everything, but come on, Palm Reader has been releasing top-tier hardcore for the past decade and barely cracks six thousand listeners per month... and don’t even get me started on Talons’ stats. Sure, Employed To Serve may be among the more ‘popular’ of the crop - to the extent where they could perhaps be able to make a living off of their music in thirtyish years - but they’re not exactly
popping a la the likes of, eh, Architects and While She Sleeps. I sincerely hope
Conquering will change that.
Conquering is an apt title for the band’s fourth album. Achieving something after a struggle, you know, connotations of sweaty, rugged people successfully attempting to accomplish intense tasks on equally sweaty and rugged terrains. That’s exactly what the Employed To Serve of today sound like. Where 2019’s excellent
Eternal Forward Motion frequently hinted at a turn towards a more melodic, strung out aesthetic as opposed to the meticulous and continuous onslaught of previous records, this new album finds a near-perfect balance where the
downright Hevvy is allowed ample room to breathe by means of the
organic and
spacious.
Conquering doesn’t counter the band’s typical frenzied hardcore with more traditional metal stylings as much as it marries the two, allowing such moments to intertwine and complement one another rather impressively.
Okay, cool, quick question though:
r there clean vox?
Yes.
Conquering isn’t a continuous flow of Justine Jones’ impeccable screams, as guitarist Sammy Urwin provides clean vocals whenever the atmosphere is right. Employed To Serve appear entirely dedicated to making the rather metallic record feel as organic as possible, allowing songs to swell, burst and collapse at their own pace. ‘Twist The Blade’ introduces itself with Urwin’s urgent vocals, before the song descends into an abyss of riffs, solos and drums that feel as demented as they are wonderfully calculated. Elsewhere, the sluggish ‘World Ender’ layers drowned out clean vocals with a typically impassioned performance by Jones, thrusting the song forward like the broken parts of a rusty machine clinging on for dear life. Elements rarely feel out of place or tacked on, even if the record does occasionally test the patience of those who are not too fond of guitar solos (it’s me!! it’s me!!).
While Employed To Serve’s newfound sense of natural flow is as admirable as it is enjoyable, the band remain at their very best when they go
all in. ‘Set In Stone’s chaotic insanity is an instant highlight, intertwining manic riffage with a bone-rattling vocal performance. Moreover, the song is an excellent example of
Conquering’s more experimental production choices. Occasional glitches add a nice layer of intensity, neatly keeping in line with the record’s organic nature. Most importantly, such kickanoldladyintheteeth-heavy moments appear all the more gripping due to the more expansive sonic playground they find themselves in. Closing track ‘Stand Alone’ allows a nigh-ethereal intro to bleed into a buildup of gigantic proportions, before Jones gladly introduces the earth-shattering conclusion. Or, more succinctly, it’s
hevvy as fuk.
Lyrically,
Conquering remains as claustrophobic as ever. Yet, packaged within more scopic songs, there is an element of empowerment that Employed To Serve have only hinted at on previous efforts. ‘Exist’ finds the band in a persistent hell, yet employs a tastefully delivered solo to offer some resistance: “
Will you take the beating? Will you submit? / My answer every time / “No””. Each song presents a similar theme, neatly adding a layer of coherence to the album as well as perfectly describing its title. It won’t reduce you to tears; it won’t fill you with disgust, but it’s the perfect style for this particular delightfully rusty vehicle.
While
Conquering is filled to the brim with excellent moments, it does end up trading standout songs for consistency. The record lacks an ‘Owed Zero’ or an ‘I Spend My Days’, instead opting to allow listeners to make their way through the album and be amazed and entertained at roughly the same level all throughout. This means that while
Conquering isn’t Employed To Serve’s best album, it is the band’s most complete body of work to date. On top of this, it encapsulates a previously unheard crossover appeal that will hopefully draw in many,
many new listeners to experience the beautiful destruction of the band. Plz.
