ALBUM REVIEW: Avoid – Cult Mentality

“Go back to basics.”

Out of Seattle, WA, comes five-piece unit Avoid, who return under a much changed guise since their 2018 record, Alone. The debut record leant deep into the metalcore conventions and structures of the day, many of which are slowly fading away for a much more diverse sound than the genre has ever had. This seen Avoid take on a shift in sound and aesthetic of their own, diving into ’00s influences ranging from the crabcore, metalcore and pop-punk stylings of the era. Even with the cover bearing semblance to Your Demise‘s sophomore full-length, The Kids We Use To Be, it’s clearly evident where Avoid are pulling their influences from.

Sonically it becomes clear this is going to be a nostalgia-tinged trip to the ’00s and early ’10s with “My World” and “Cowabunga“, with soaring choruses that wouldn’t be out of place on an A Day To Remember track. On the former there is a level of sheer aggression blended within the track’s relentless blast beats and its heavy-hitter breakdown, with is ushered in by the call of “Go back to basics“, which may as well be the mantra for the record as a whole. Bookended with trap percussion and bizarre electronics, it’s a cocktail of a questionable blend. “Cowabunga” pivots on these huge choruses that were a staple of 00s metalcore, with numerous bands making a living off their catchy vocal hooks contained within them back in the era Avoid clearly take inspiration from. Perhaps less interestingly, in between these two is a perhaps too on-the-nose song about weed, for those who are potentially into that prospect.

Bringing in the nu-metal semblance is “Split (Kill It)“, it’s a frantic affair with drum rudiments that feel familiar to Slipknot eras of 15 or more years ago. It’s the funnest song of the early run, with its frantic manner that would set crowds off live. The crowbarred in clean moments do upset the pacing of the track a tad, though. There is an admittedly brutal guttural here from vocalist Nick Olson which bears mentioning, giving the track a semblance of redemption after the less-than-stellar chorus. These vocals crop up in “Gator Fest“, potentially as expected given its name, which is borderline unhinged in its manner – in a good way, to be clear. Later brutaliser “Finish Line 3” tops this with some two-step beats and ravaging riffs that shows off that Avoid‘s heavy cuts are arguably their best work on Cult Mentality, and could have been embraced further in the record.

This is contrasted with pop-punk-esque track, “Can’t Take This Away“, that gives flashbacks to fuckboy-adjacent tracks that have surfaced in the past. The trap beat, pitched vocals and chants have a feel of discovering a personal email address used when 13 years old. There are further middling tracks which take the same path and make the same mistakes that Ocean Grove did with their record Up In The Air Forever, with tracks such as “Bored” and closer “Midnight Six” offering little up in the way of substance. The layered-in lyrics of “I’m so far gone” on the closer sound patched in from a Bring Me The Horizon song, and are far too compressed for my liking. Early track “Whatever” with its catchy moments does perhaps fall into this trap slightly as well, as it’s almost too much of a throwback.

This is perhaps where the biggest issue arises with Cult Mentality, and its drawing on influences from sounds and bands from an era that opened the century. The prevalence of pastiche simply causes a longing to return and listen to likes of TRUSTcompany, A Day To Remember and Fightstar. With many of these groups still going and performing, it’s difficult to bathe in the warm nostalgia that Cult Mentality offers up when the original springs are still flowing – at least for the most part. With its addled throwbacks to a bygone era of many youths, Cult Mentality does also ponder the question of whether or not it’s a sound worth revisiting when the genre is thriving upon many new sounds and influences.

Despite this, and taking Cult Mentality away from a more serious lens, there is absolutely some fun to be had with the record. Tracks such as “Split (Kill It)” and “Finish Line 3” provide some adrenaline-inducing moments live and no doubt make an impact of live crowds as they begin touring later this year. Its soaring cleans, while having something of a dated essence, will provide something for those looking to indulge in, and perhaps even sing along to that sound. With Avoid there is clearly something there in terms of ability, it just seems with Cult Mentality there are certain growing pains in carving out their own sound that will put a mark on the wider genre.

6/10

Cult Mentality is out this Friday, November 4th via Thriller Records. The record can be pre-ordere here.