Review Summary: Probably not, but I’ll enjoy you anyway.
Metalcore, for all its bangers over the last three decades, has a bit of a longevity issue. That’s not to say fans can’t play Killswitch Engage’s
The End Of Heartache and still find that nostalgic enjoyment that comes from listening to a band in its hey-day. These types of records (to which Killswitch Engage and their ilk are definitely guilty of), broadcast the tier to which most fans hold the genre’s music both new and old. These albums, (the ones released in most fan’s formative years) set a standard that simply couldn’t or won’t be matched by the same groups releasing twenty years later. That spark, the fire becoming a shadow of the original. It’s a shame really, because metalcore really has a knack for creating audible angst.
Bury Tomorrow also can’t escape the genre smirch thirteen years after releasing
The Union of Crowns. It’s not that Bury Tomorrow can’t release good music but lack the lightning in a bottle energy that inspired the group’s fans in those earlier days. It sucks that we’ve become so jaded as listeners that our own nostalgia gets in the way of what could be an otherwise enjoyable record.
Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience could have been a defining move in a band’s career, unfortunately it’s metalcore by numbers, lacking the
oomph that would unshackle them from the stigma mentioned above. “To Dream, To Forget” is a typical opener. Riffs bound in, rapid-fire under a stream of shouts and screams of Dani Winter-Bates. Its familiarity breathes safety within this heavily populated genre, “Villain Arc” and “Wasteland” continue the visceral dichotomy and melodious interplay—inoffensive enough to escape true criticism, but far from the mind-blowing standard to which fans
crave.
“What If I Burn” leans heavily into a rather obvious hook. Reveling in the sort of stadium proficient chorus band like I Prevail would trade a left testi for, but the new record’s more titanic moments come from the likes of “Villain Arc”, “Forever The Night” and “Waiting” where Bury Tomorrow unleash the sort of songwriting that could’ve steered
Cannibal or
The Seventh Sun to more promising accolades. The real prize here though is “Yōkai (妖怪)” catapulting groove and salubrious melodies.
It’s unfortunate that
Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience wasn’t released a decade ago but perhaps Bury Tomorrow’s newest album marks a poignant take on the genre and music as a whole. For what it’s worth, metalcore isn’t completely dead, not yet anyways—there are still the mainstays that will happily wave the flag regardless of where they’re stuck in the parade. Bury Tomorrow are still as much the stadium filling band they’ve always been despite being probably understated within the genre itself. Compositionally, the band continues to heap creativity until it sticks. Thankfully,
Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience is steadily better than Bury Tomorrow’s more modern releases. If, like me, you’re okay with a guilt-free metalcore release good enough to bang your head to, Bury Tomorrow will scratch that itch.
Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience isn’t
haunting or
patient, but it is melancholic, octane fueled and solid enough for a casual listen or two.
