“Through all the lights the darkest nights, I wish you were happier”
Look, I’m not gonna mince words here. I love Volumes. Being one of, if not the absolute most important bands to me in my formative years, a significant chunk of their discography means a lot to me. Being objective though, I have felt as if they’ve been on a bit of a downward trend over the past six years or so. First with the departure of vocalist Michael Barr; a frontman whose unique, piercing vocal tone (along with the guitar work of Diego Farias) was the reason Volumes initially caught my ear when I heard “Erased” and “Wormholes” for the first time all those years back.
Sure, his then-replacement Myke Terry is an absolutely fantastic vocalist, but the group’s effort to distance themselves from the downright djent sound of their early work with Different Animals yielded mixed results. Make no mistake, that’s not a condemnation of the entire record, or even sonic deviation as a whole. Tracks like “Waves Control” showed they still had what it took to craft heavy, pit-opening bangers. However, on the whole something was… missing.
Even in many of the album’s chunkier cuts like “Disaster Vehicle” and “Left For Dead”, while it still sounded like Volumes, it just didn’t feel quite as passionate. I’ve always admired the band’s melodic sensibilities, however, and this led me to connecting more with the album’s softer cuts (“Hope”, “Heavy Silence” and “Pullin’ Shades” to name a few) more than much of the heavy output on the record. At that point in their career, particularly with founding-and-then-guitarist Diego Farias (RIP) drifting away from metal as a whole, those cuts felt more honest than the relatively phoned in heavy instrumentation on display on Different Animals, and its relatively lacking follow-up EP Coming Clean.
Then came a major line-up shift in January of 2020. There were rumours of Barr returning to the fold for some time, but I don’t think anyone really believed it, given how things left off in 2015. Then, with the release of standalone single “holywater” that month, it was announced that Barr was back, and that founding vocalist and guitarist Gus and Diego Farias would be departing the group. Tragically, a week later, Diego Farias passed. Of course, at this point he was no longer part of the group, but I still wondered what this meant for the future of the band. However, in his wake, the band pressed on and continued to write, record and release music throughout 2020.
With Terry and Barr now co-fronting the group, despite the tragedy I felt the group’s potential had never been higher. This was no better exemplified by the three stellar singles released over 2020, with the aforementioned “holywater”, along with “Pixelate” and “Weighted” being my absolutely favourite tracks this band had released in a very, very long time. Now comes Happier?, a record that seeks to build upon the momentum set by those singles. The question is, does it stack up, or does it fail to capitalize on the momentum set by those returning singles?
Opening tracks “FBX” and “Malevolent” waste absolutely no time in setting the album’s tone. Volumes are here to party, and it’s a rager. These tracks are heavy, with the latter of the two being one of the two heaviest tracks this group have released since No Sleep, if not ever. Primo djenty goodness in droves, these tracks will have you involuntarily bobbing your head along to the infectious, dirty grooves that permeate these opening moments.
Following track and album announcement single “Bend” pulls it back a notch. Trading in the vivacious aggression of the opening numbers for slick melodicism; to put it bluntly, “Bend” is one of the best tracks this band have ever written. Gorgeous vocal melodies and slick, sexy vibes; combined with the groove-laden and innate bounce one would come to expect from Volumes’ most infectious bangers; it was a highlight when it was released as a single, and it’s a highlight here.
Initial 2021 single “Get Enough” follows, and this is the only point in which I feel Happier? falters. A fun track to be sure, with a fantastic chorus to boot, though I feel as a whole it fails to live up to the bar(r) of quality set by the rest of the record. Its breakdown in particular falls a tad flat, lacking some of the keenly harnessed energy in similar areas across the record. Make no mistake, though, this is still an incredibly fun track, and one that is more than worth your time.
Mid-album cut “Man On Fire” is the aforementioned counterpart to “Malevolent”, in being the absolute most aggressive rack this group have penned since No Sleep. Containing a strong lyrical emphasis surrounding issues of racism (“Why do you hate me for the color of my skin?”) and barbaric anti-immigrant legislation (“It cuts like a knife through your kin, your immigrant youth”), this is the most raw and pissed off I’ve heard Volumes in a long time. Myke Terry in particular sounds fantastic here, laying down some seldom-seen high screams as he pierces through the brutal instrumental work to let the relevant parties know he’s “Hoping you die again”. Being not only one of the best tracks across Happier?, but also standing alongside “Bend” as one of my favourites this band has put out to date, “Man On Fire” is a visceral, pissed off rager that commands your attention from start to finish.
Jumping ahead a few tracks to another album highlight in “Into You (Hurt)”, another track that joins the ranks of “Bend” and “Man On Fire” as one of the group’s strongest efforts in some time. Harnessing a moody, Deftones-esque energy for the track’s melodic first leg, “Into You (Hurt)” blindsides the listener at its midpoint with one of the most ridiculous breakdowns across the entire record. Penultimate track “Void” provides a contrasting effect, a two-minute rager opening with a simple, biting riff then switches up, providing one of the best choruses across the record, led by Myke Terry.
Closer and title track “Happier?” seeks to end the album at an absolute high. It’s no wonder this is supposedly a reworked track left on the cutting room floor from Via, with its beautiful piano composition, highly reminiscent of “Serenity”; and its heavy emphasis on gorgeous ambience. Further, the track’s chorus and general use of clean vocals prove to be some of the most memorable of the band’s entire career, with a wonderful vocal interplay between Barr and Terry across its five-minute runtime. It’s an aptly breathtaking ending to a great record, and one that I’m so glad they pulled out of the vault to rework here.
I could go on about each and every track on here at length, but I’ll leave it at this. Happier? is not only a total rejuvenation of Volumes’ sound, it’s an absolute love letter to the hard-as-nails djenty metalcore that made me and so many others fall in love with them in the first place. It may not be Via, but I’m more than at peace with that, as overall these are 11 of some of the best tracks this band have penned in almost a decade, with a few of these being some of my favourites they’ve written, period. Pulling absolutely no punches, Happier? is the fierce sequel to No Sleep that I always wanted, but never thought I’d see. Welcome back, Michael Barr, and welcome back Volumes, I’ve missed you.
Happier? will be available on November 19th via Fearless Records, and you can pre-order the record here.
9.5/10