Review Summary: Edge of the Abyss is a fun, albeit overproduced, 40 minutes of energetic rock & metal sprinkled with Latin influences.
Edge of the Abyss, the fourth studio album from Calva Louise, sees the alternative rock trio lean a bit more into modern metalcore tropes than they’ve ever done before. Granted, heavy instrumentals and harsh vocals aren’t a new thing for the group, but this is easily the most they’ve leaned into it so far since their debut release in 2019. And although
Edge of the Abyss remains a consistently entertaining album throughout its relatively short 40-minute runtime, there are a handful of gripes and inconsistencies that weigh the album down as a whole.
For starters, there isn’t a ton to say about the instrumentals on this album; it’s your typical run-of-the-mill modern alternative rock and metalcore with sprinkles of Latin influences here and there. The guitar riffs and chugs are serviceable enough, even though there’s nothing to make them stand out relative to Calva Louise’s genre contemporaries. The same could be said about the drumming too, and unfortunately the bass is almost always a bit too low in the mix. As for lead vocalist Jess Allanic, she delivers a relatively solid, high-energy performance for the most part. My only issue with the vocals in general is that her voice is often buried under layers of effects and filters, which is a little disappointing because Allanic is clearly capable of delivering capable vocals without all the bells and whistles, as is proven with album highlight
Lo Que Vale, which happens to be one of the three songs sung primarily in Spanish.
Edge of the Abyss is at its most interesting when the band steps outside of their comfort zone. For example,
The Abyss leans heavily into darkwave and techno, which is a welcome departure from the breakdowns and chugs of the songs prior to it. Another highlight is
Impeccable, which again leans into electronic instrumentals during the verses, and features an infectious, bouncy chorus.
One of my only consistent complaints with the album as a whole is that it’s overproduced. Its production clearly takes influence from the Jordan Fish style of mainstream metalcore that has become popularized over the last few years, but as a result, the songs often feel noisy and chaotic. There’s also an overabundance of weird electronic noises and effects thrown into choruses and breakdowns seemingly at random. Take, for example, the breakdown in
Barely A Response (which, for the record, is an otherwise excellent opener). There’s this obnoxious squeaking sound (?) thrown in that seems incredibly out of place and distracting, and I was left scratching my head asking why exactly they felt the need to include it at all instead of just letting the breakdown speak for itself.
For what it is,
Edge of the Abyss is a perfectly entertaining, and sometimes great, album, despite its flaws. In the future, it’d be very cool to see Calva Louise lean more into the dark electronic/industrial side of their sound. But I’m a sucker for some good old fashioned alternative rock - and if you are too, give this album a try; you’ll likely find something to enjoy.
3.5 out of 5
