“I mourn for what was tomorrow.”
It is important for the survival of any genre to have artists pushing its limits and continuing to bring more to the sound. A genre’s longevity is generally determined by the presence of bands consistently pushing the envelope, as this not only creates more opportunities for new fans to be introduced but also keeps existing bands from getting monotonous quicker. Conversely, it is arguably just as important to have some bands keeping the core (pun intended) sound of a style alive as a means to keep traditionalists pleased, as well as reference point for a sound’s evolution to truly shine. London-based metalcore outfit Confessions Of A Traitor please this exact audience on their latest offering, Punishing Myself Before God Does. Packed full of fun riffs, triumphant choruses, and pounding breakdowns, the album does little in the way of general experimentation, but seems to be completely content in not doing so.
Right out the gate, the group wastes no time in showing what they are out to accomplish with the titular opening track. Opening with a build-up which leads into an energetic and pounding verse, the track is a lot of fun and is a perfect indicator of what the listener will get from the rest of the album. However, this is also where the albums possible shortcomings start to rear their head; as fun as the track is, it is as a straightforward and by-the-numbers hardcore-tinged metalcore track as they come. That is not to say that there is nothing to take away from this track, and in effect the rest of the album; there is an undeniable amount of passion pounding throughout this album, which is absolutely enough to save it from falling into mediocrity. However, the lack of new ideas on display here does prevent the record from truly standing out.
Apart from emotion, what truly defines a record are the sonic elements which the songs are composed of. The vast majority of the tracks on Punishing Myself Before God Does are made up of moving grooves, fun riffs, big choruses, solid lead passages, quick drop-outs, and disgusting breakdowns with build-ups to accompany them. Of course, none of these elements are in any way new to this particular style of metalcore, and the performances do not exactly do much to separate them either. Whilst the execution of this whole style does not necessarily stand-out, the songs brim with an emotion and passion that truly saves this album from completely getting lost in the crowd. The general vibe and theme, combined with satisfying breakdowns that many popular bands in the scene only tease, will see Punishing Myself Before God Does resonate with many a listener despite its cookie-cutter composition.
That is not to say there are no noteworthy moments to be found; there are in-fact multiple tracks which have somewhat refreshing ideas, at least when it comes to this particular style of metalcore. Small experimentation is especially apparent in tracks 2-4, all of which have certain elements that separate them from the opener and most of the subsequent tracks. Track 2, “Hearts In Stone”, features a satisfying clean passage in the first verse which provides a very nice contrast to the opening track. Following this, “Lovecraft” has a particularly stand-out breakdown due to its relative focus on ambience and atmosphere, as well as a visceral build-up that lends it extra emotional weight. Finally, fourth track “Forever Hollow” comes through with a unique structure, something which is extremely refreshing for this album, particularly on repeat listens.
It focuses less on head-bang inducing grooves and drops, and instead gives a lot more attention to the atmospheric side throughout its entire runtime, which makes it an automatic and impactful stand-out. The liberal use of clean passages sprinkled throughout the track contributes greatly to this atmosphere, nicely complimenting the synth tones. “Lovecraft” also boasts powerful and emotive guest vocals from Currents vocalist Brian Wille, who slots in seamlessly and elevates the soundscape further. Overall, this is a great track which adds a lot to the experience of listening to the album front to back. Mid-album cut “To Care For Those Who Cared For Us” also deserves a quick shout-out, not only for its undeniably touching spoken-word passage in the bridge section, but for the fact that it replicates the complexion of the other tracks but with far more skilled execution. It is moving and infectious in a way that some of the other songs fail to achieve.
Overall, Punishing Myself Before God Does is a fairly standard record with no total misses or shortcomings, and a number of stand-out moments. However, these are generally not enough to elevate it past being just a straightforward metalcore record filled with rage and emotion. Fortunately, a sufficiently large part of the scene craves that passionate, baseline sound of the genre. As a result, Confessions Of A Traitor are going to get a fair amount of deserved acclaim from the traditionalist crowd with this release, but will also, at least for now, not go down as game changers. It seems that they are content with that, making Punishing Myself Before God Does a successful, though not overly adventurous, effort.
7/10
Punishing Myself Before God Does will be available this Friday, September 16th, via Facedown Records, and you can pre-order it here.