“Fear is a fetish, and I am a masochist.”
Now 23-year veterans of the metalcore scene, Every Time I Die are a band that have seen the genre through its every iteration thus far. Through that, though, the group have committed to being steadfast in their abrasive take on Southern-twinged metalcore romps; and as a result of their songwriting prowess ending up with a discography that is about as consistent can be and then some, given how long they’ve been around. Still though, that’s not to say they haven’t been evolving.
2016’s Low Teens certainly signalled more of a departure from the group’s straight-up, balls-to-the-wall sound with some surprisingly great more alt-rock leaning cuts. “It Remembers” featuring Panic! At The Disco’s own Brendon Urie stood out to me as one of the best rock tracks of that year, with its soaring chorus and fantastic vocal interplay between Urie and ETID frontman Keith Buckley catching my ear from the get-go. Low Teens ended up in my top ten records of the entire decade because of tracks like that; like “Religion of Speed”; like “Map Change”. It was a truly special metal record, and one that showed that an old dog can learn new tricks and incorporate them into their old routines to make those old routines pop all the more.
It’s no secret that as a result of that legacy – not only built by that record’s stellar reception, but the group’s pedigree cultivated over the past two decades – there’s a lot riding on Radical’s back. Five years following Low Teens, and almost two years into this pandemic, it feels like we’ve been waiting for ETID’s ninth studio album for a lifetime. The question is, though, how does it stack up?
Opener “Dark Distance” immediately sets the scene, piercing through with what sounds like a mixture of a dissonant synth and some gnarly guitar feedback before Buckley cuts through, screaming “spare only the ones I love, slay the rest” as the track immediately breaks down into a chaotic, chromatic guitar riff with some groovy drums to match. Beginning the record at blistering pace, “Dark Distance” wastes no time in introducing you to Every Time I Die’s fucked up, pissed off world.
Despite the group’s willingness to venture into parts unknown with their more melodic stylings in recent years, the opener (and its subsequent follow-ups) prove that Every Time I Die aren’t here to soften up. Blistering, abrasive and pissed-off-as-all-hell, there’s no other track on here that exemplifies the distorted, pick-up-your-feet aggression this album embodies quite like “Planet Shit”.
An almost four-minute aggro romp, seemingly based on the anger felt against the police force over the past half-decade or so since Black Lives Matter became such a prominent social movement, “Planet Shit” has intent behind its sound. It carries an important message, and it’s one that is delivered with such brutal, blunt honesty that it’s almost poetic. You can feel Buckley’s palpable anger as he screams “fuck you, die” in the track’s intial breakdown. It may sound lyrically basic on the surface, but as a moment of emotional release it’s so effective, and so needed. There’s something beautiful about shedding away the need to wax poetic and dance around your feelings, and instead opting to just say something so bold exactly as you mean it, and that’s exactly what “Planet Shit” does so well.
It’s not all hyper-pissed, though. Mid-album track “Thing With Feathers” (featuring Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull) continues the trend set by “It Remembers” in being yet another melodic ETID track with an off-kilter vocal feature. As discussed previously, though, that’s far from a bad thing. Hull’s vocal feature somehow gels perfectly with the band’s more reserved style, lending a nice, soft interplay with Buckley’s vocals. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but this song in parts feels more like a slightly less proggy cut from The Dear Hunter’s Act IV than anything I’ve heard from ETID prior to this. The soft vocals cutting and soaring over the explosive chorus instrumental, juxtaposed by the track’s gorgeously laid-back verses provide one of the most dynamic experiences across the record.
The record wastes no time in cracking its knuckles and getting back into it, though. The three succeeding tracks “Hostile Architecture”, “AWOL” and “The Whip” are all classic ETID. Southern-twinged ass beaters through and through; the latter of the three stands out as one of the strongest across the entire record. Across its two-and-a-half-minute runtime, the track shifts between radically (haha) different instrumental passages – with each being seemingly more violent than the last. The track’s final callback to its chugging bridge as Buckley screams “fear is a fetish, and I am a masochist” (which is sure to become a fan-favourite lyric) proves to be one of the most brutal and memorable moments across the entirety of Radical.
Late-album cut “Distress Rehearsal” similarly impresses, being an uncompromisingly pacey tune with enough raw grit to contend with that you can feel it in your bones. Groovy breakdowns, blasts and dissonant chords galore; “Distress Rehearsal” is far and above one of the heaviest songs Every Time I Die have ever penned, and it’s so much fun. If this doesn’t become a staple of their live shows going forward, there is truly no justice in this world.
I could wax lyrical about each and every one of the 16 tracks across Radical, but the truth is this record is so dense and rich with content that we would be here for hours and hours. Radical, in its purest form, is exactly what its title states. An almost hour-long romp from one of metalcore’s most beloved and consistent artists; Every Time I Die have achieved the almost-impossible in somehow crafting the strongest album of their already-lauded career 23 years into it, and it’s fucking Radical. It’s an album that demands to be experienced; an absolute masterclass of the genre – and one of the best records of the year by far.
Radical will be available this Friday, October 22nd via Epitaph Records, and you can pre-order the album here. For all things Every Time I Die, metalcore and music in general, keep it locked on Boolin Tunes.
9.5/10