“We can’t sit here and pretend that we aren’t headed for our end.“
In this year of heavy music, it’s been satisfying to see so many bands aiming high, completely avoiding tepid reinterpretations of their influences. Here comes an example in Rile, a band metalcore band proudly influenced by Trap Them and Converge, yet they conquer a completely different sonic space. This is the kind of result you can only get with seasoned musicians, the best known of which is Sam Richards of Cult Leader, who handles guitars and vocals for Rile. Their debut record is mixed by Kurt Ballou, so, carries a stamp of approval from the genre’s forebears. Pessimist compiles their first two tracks (2022’s “Dead End” and “Pessimist”) with four more to round out a proper record. Till now, this has mostly been road material, played on mixed bills with Spotlights, Rezn, and (shortly) Deftones’ own Dia De Los Deftones Festival.
Rile’s sound is defined by Brian Fell’s insane drumwork. Pointedly avoiding all the conventional metallic hardcore beats, he brings Rile to more experimental territory. “Climb Out” and “Pessimist” clearly make this case, where the guitar and bass, already sufficiently heavy, are elevated by unusual hi-hat rhythms and kick patterns. Some passages are in a state of permanent drum-fill; it’s like Fell is chasing a hornet across the kit. There’s plenty of other strengths too, as Sam Richards and Matt Mascarenas provide unhinged vocals whilst playing guitar and bass respectively, and the guitar-work is proggy without being flashy. Rile certainly deserve the ‘experimental’ descriptor, and it’s admirable that they achieve all this as a three piece, with next to no overdubs or effects.
The collection of tracks has solid pacing, with the particularly epic “Stone Tapes” being an ominous pit at the record’s centre. Starting slowly, a complex instrumental develops, sparely arranged and repeating on an odd cycle, keeping you engaged. The vocals are nonchalant, as if hypnotised by the beat, and layered with distant screams later on. The track stays in this groove throughout, never erupting too far, which is a stroke of genius on such an aggressive record. “Half Love” gradually returns to the heaviness, keeping the tempo slow with some sludgy riffwork. It works towards the title track “Pessimist” to round out the record in furious fashion, bit crushing itself into fuzz-putty and lingering feedback.
Pessimist is a solid start from Rile, offering a decent amount of new material. It confirms the band’s sonic identity and inevitably good live sound. Their tendency toward rhythmically unexpected and lengthy tracks will surprise many. Seen through the standard metal/hardcore lens, a track like “Hidden From Light” suffers slightly overusing it’s otherwise solid riffs. This an a few other tracks could stand to be shorter, though that would leave a thinner experience with only six tracks. I encourage you to embrace Pessimist as an experimental metalcore record and watch the group carefully as they develop further.
7/10
Pessimist releases October 27th via Church Road Records, and can be pre-ordered here (US/UK).