ALBUM REVIEW: Resolve – Human

The deafening sound of this machinery, shredding my core, self-inhibiting.”

Following a steady stream of singles over the better part of the past year, French metalcore unit Resolve have returned with their sophomore studio album Human. The record serves as the successor to 2021’s debut album Between Me and the Machine, which established Resolve as ones to keep an eye on in France’s fledgling metalcore scene. With Human, the group looks to keep the momentum going by expanding both their sound and the narrative themes put forth by its predecessor album.

Single and title track “Human” serves as the record’s opener and thesis statement, laying the groundwork for the album with the introduction of a humanoid, half-clone/half-robot narrator. The synth-laden cut is interlaced with industrial elements which bolster its Isaac Asimov-inspired narrative and enhance the impact of the punchy opener. Whereas Between Me and the Machine navigated the struggles of existing in, and ultimately leaving behind, a world becoming increasingly dominated by machines, on the other end of the spectrum, Human explores the space between human and machine life, diving into the existential crises surrounding what makes us human.

One of the biggest strengths of Human is how well it utilizes its forty-four minute runtime. The ebb and flow of its tracklisting insures the energy never wanes too much, and helps make the project feel like a complete narrative and journey, adding to the cinematic nature of the album. Singles “Death Awaits” and “Older Days” immediately follow on from “Human” and effectively keep things moving. “Death Awaits”, driven by a dynamic performance from drummer Nathan Mariat, juxtaposes its lyrics about the inevitability of death with a catchy, pop-punky chorus, and its music video exemplifying coming together in a shared space to conversely celebrate a love for life and human connection through music. “Older Days” is one of the most interesting cuts on the Human, using trap and electronic influenced instrumentals as a backdrop for vocalist Anthony Diliberto to flex the full range of his vocals abilities.

Opening with a throaty, subdued delivery, and then expertly weaving his way between his clean and unclean vocals before ending the track with an explosive breakdown—Diliberto can do it all. Surprisingly enough, however, while the version of “Older Days” on Human has Resolve’s frontman as the sole voice on the track, the single version that was dropped ahead of the album’s release sees vocal features from two of the most distinctive voices in heavy music in Aaron Matts of ten56. (formerly of Betraying the Martyrs) and Marc Zelli of Paleface Swiss. While Anthony Diliberto has no trouble carrying the track on his own, the two heavyweight features add an undeniable heft to the single version that makes it worth checking out on its own separate from the album. Despite the features only coming together later on for the single rollout, “Older Days” honestly feels like it could have been written with the features in mind from the get-go. While it might seem difficult to balance a track with vocalists of Matts and Zelli’s caliber, the vocal distribution throughout the song feels balanced, with both featured vocalists maximizing their time on the track to effectively elevate it.

Unreleased tracks “Continuum” and “Bloodlust” help round out the first half of Human. The former track is a bit of a slow build, but is satisfyingly balanced out by another powerful vocal performance by Diliberto. “Bloodlust” is frantic from the get-go, opening with some bouncy, djenty grooves, courtesy of guitarist Antonin Carré and bassist Robin Mariat. From there, the album moves onto mid-point track “In Stone”. Functioning as a gorgeous transition into Human’s second half, airy production, cleaned up guitar tones, orchestral elements, and beautiful layered vocals create a downright beautiful track that provides a nice bit of breathing room at the record’s halfway mark.

The back half of Human is further smoothed out with similar moments of respite, as well. Whereas ”Comfortably Dumb” and single “Move to Trash” bring back the crunchy, bouncy grooves, tracks like “Ignite” and closer “Moonchild”, both of which fall a bit closer to alternative rock than they do metalcore, act as additional balms to the more energetic cuts around them in the tracklisting. Pushing six minutes long, penultimate track and single “New Colors” is a foreboding call for unity in the face of humanity’s collective downfall—”and if it’s too late for saving our souls, rather fail together, than triumph alone.” The anthemic cut is perhaps just a bit too long, but moves smoothly into the aforementioned “Moonchild” from there, with the bright and hopeful finale allowing Human to end on a more uplifting note.

A strong followup to their debut record, Human proves to be anything but a sophomore slump. The continued expansion and refinement of Resolve’s sound, as well as a strong execution of concept, and their continuously earnest and intentional songwriting, has helped the group establish themselves as one of the key players in France’s burgeoning metalcore scene.

9/10

Human is set to release this Friday September 15th via Arising Empire, with pre-orders for the record available here. The rest of the year sees Resolve embarking on their French headlining tour, with tickets available for purchase here.