“I feel like this could lead to trouble.”
Between parting ways with lead vocalist Will King in late 2022 and a very public online dispute with Omerta over their shared album title, Windwaker’s current album cycle appeared turbulent from an outsider’s perspective. However, neither of these situations have hindered the group’s work on HYPERVIOLENCE. Since King’s departure, they have managed to drop six singles; nearly half the project’s length. While I’m not exactly a fan of bands leaving no room for the imagination, it gave us listeners a clearer scope of the band’s new direction with Liam Guinane as their frontman. And I’ll be frank, I’m not a fan of it.
Following the announcement of HYPERVIOLENCE, Windwaker began to market themselves as a ‘hyperpop-metal’ group. Even after listening to this album, I’m still scratching my head, trying to find where exactly the hyperpop is. In comparison to Love Language, there actually isn’t much more pop influence. If anything, it seems like HYPERVIOLENCE is displaying more of their electronic and hip-hop side. On paper, the idea seems intriguing and something I would typically enjoy, but the product is entirely disappointing.
The warning signs were there from the beginning with their 2023 single, “SIRENS”. I remember the immediate and unintentional eye-roll the intro-chorus provoked in me. Fortunately, its whiplash of a pre-chorus and its safe, yet effective, breakdown had salvaged the song. It wasn’t exactly a track I cared to return to, but it certainly wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever heard. This was generally the same case for the following single, “Fractured State of Mind”, though the chorus and verses had improved. I concluded early on that this would be a record I’d listen to, feel torn over for a moment, and then promptly forget about. Regrettably, HYPERVIOLENCE is memorable for all the wrong reasons, embracing the concept of ‘sophomore slump’ as if it were a deliberate challenge.
The subsequent singles, “The Wall” and “Villain”, provide better insight into the record as a whole. These singles are equally questionable, but suffer for entirely different reasons. Of the pair, “Villain” is most similar to its predecessors, but with little to no redeeming qualities. It’s a sterile, stereotypical, modern metalcore song that is chock-full of uninteresting, overdone lyrical metaphors, and forgettable melodies. At least with a lot of these songs, the band makes a clear effort at trying – and failing – to be creative. Yet there is a sense that like other bands recently, they’ve delved too far into influences from Dayseeker and similar. However, in a shocking turn of events, “The Wall” managed to outdo “Villain” as the most bizarre single thus far. CORPSE rapping makes the track extremely obtuse, and moves the record far beyond of its self-declared margin of ‘hyperpop-metal’.
Miraculously, I’ve yet to mention my least favourite song on the album, that being “Break The Rules”. A song that indulges in each element that irks me about this record – the irritating hooks, and the cheesy rapping along with the unnecessarily over-the-top production – which, I assume, they believe is ‘hyperpop’. The result is that the track feels like a chore to get through, while being particularly unpleasant on the ear with its vocal pitch.
When I initially heard “Infinity”, I had been given a significant amount of false hope. The track itself is pretty good, with a massive chorus, with Guinane is proving himself worthy of leading the band vocally. The abrasive second verse feels appropriate, and everyone gets a chance to shine. It’s disheartening to hear the potential this band has, only to watch it slowly circle the drain over the course of this project’s forty three minutes.
The recurring issues on this album rear their ugly heads on “Vertigo” and “Venom”, which have one thing in common – they were done a whole lot better a decade ago. Bands like I See Stars integrated a very similar kind of electronic style and production, but Treehouse was of its time. To try and recreate that in 2024 is silly. Why does the intro to “Venom” sound like it could feature alongside “Cbat” by Hudson Mohawke? Why did Windwaker decide to bring back the atrocious CORPSE vocals on “Vertigo”? I have a plethora of questions, and it seems the fruit of this band’s wasted labour is providing no answers. Perhaps more puzzling is the extremely unfortunate “Haunting Me”, which is, at its core, Drake worship. The timing could not be more comical.
To delve into some highlights, “Hypnotised” is a track that is enjoyable. It doesn’t feel overly complex, allowing each element and moving part to stand out. Guinane’s rapping on this is smooth, and unlike other cuts, inoffensive. It feels less derivative of other artists’ cemented styles and more his own. Its hook is as moving as the one on “Infinity”, returning just in time before I begin to miss it. Jesse Crofts’ guitar work right at the drop of that second chorus reminds me of a riff on one of my favorite Spiritbox songs, “Eternal Blue”, which also occurs just after the second chorus. I appreciate the production here, including Chris Lalic’s work on the vocals, which I was iffy about on some other tracks, namely “Venom”. A standout element of the production here is Lalic’s use of silence; it’s effective and purposeful here, one of the only moments on the album to feel that way.
Unsuprisingly, this record ends on a horrid note. There’s definitely a strong argument to be made that “Juliet” is, objectively, the weakest song on this album. This feels like the (thankfully) shorter, nightmare version of ZAYN’s “Pillowtalk”, but missing the most significant part of that song: a powerful chorus. “Juliet” features Guinane‘s most dreadful vocal performance on all of HYPERVIOLENCE, even with the questionable choices that have come before. It’s a cut that barely makes sense in the context of the record, especially following “Tabula Rasa”, and gives listeners nothing to grasp onto sonically, let alone lyrically. For me, the closer is the most crucial part of any remarkable project, and this just doesn’t come close to cutting it.
Had it been made ten years ago, HYPERVIOLENCE‘s existence would almost make sense. It seems Windwaker genuinely believe this music is forward-thinking, especially with how carelessly they slapped the offensively wrong label of ‘hyperpop’ on it. Their endeavour at being sonically multifaceted and suave while seeking to maintain their metalcore roots comes off as directorial confusion rather than experimentation. This record portrays Windwaker as an uninspired metalcore version of Chase Atlantic at best, and genre gentrifiers at worst. I’m certainly not excited, but I’m curious to see where Windwaker decides to go after this undeniable misstep. Sticking to one thing – either metalcore or pop – might be in their best interest.
4/10
HYPERVIOLENCE is out July 12th via Fearless Records, and can be pre-ordered here.