“If I can’t have you, no one can.“
In the world of UK metalcore, Employed to Serve should be on every one’s radar. Ever since their inception in 2011 the band has been tirelessly working their way up the ladder. Their early records, especially Warmth of a Dying Sun and Eternal Forward Motion, were filled with chaotic and mathy metalcore tunes that no doubt incite chaos and excitement whenever they were played shows. In 2021 the band decided it was time for a change, with Conquering seeing them eschew much of the chaos in favour of the hooks of thrashy melodic metalcore, in an attempt to make their big sound even bigger.
Fast-forward to the present day, and their newest album Fallen Star sees them continuing down this road of melodic sensibility. Almost every song has a traditional structure that is topped off with a clean sung chorus, paired with thrash instrumentals that were just a small aspect of their pre-Conquering material. Unfortunately, these old school melodic metalcore sensibilities often collide with the new era metalcore songs structures of the album, and much of the time it does not work out well.
We find our first example of this on the opener “Treachery” where they begin with a fast-paced rager, akin to the classic openers of the genre (All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, One Of Us Is The Killer and The Gallery). We’re treated to career-best performances from the band, and a bold statement from the production by Lewis Johns. Justine Jones has never sounded better, spitting spite through white-knuckle shouts, and Sammy Urwin also impresses with buttery cleans across the record’s many choruses. The guitars are a mix of downtuned ‘core and modern thrash, a slightly uncanny combination that betrays the dual intentions of the track. The influence of modern metalcore draws the track into a trap of cycling through its riffs very quickly, undermining the potential of its pop structures, where a steadier pace would have been beneficial.
Similarly, the title track “Fallen Star” puts itself forward as a radio single with a pirouetting chorus replete with piano and gentle cleans. Outside these moments, it is almost too chunky – the beefy drum hits and chugging passages tell the listener that the story is meant to be ending somewhere else. Fortunately, the first half of the album is not all disappointing, as the final single “Breaks Me Down” slows down the djenty riffs in a compelling way, bringing back some of the wonder to the melody of the album that was lost on the previous songs.
When the songs of Fallen Star fully embrace the influence of old school melodic metalcore, the band arrive at the impact they’ve been looking for. The strongest songs on the second half of the album are the ones that slow down the pace, and really allow the riffs to breathe and build hype, ultimately paid off by a crushing breakdown. The song “Brother, Stand By Me” demonstrates this ethos, perhaps in a way that might make a listener wonder why the first half of the album couldn’t have been more like this. This point is driven home even further by the song “Whose Side Are You On“, which also features Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach, which can only be described as a love letter to the melodic metalcore bands of the early 00s with its soaring melody and crushing breakdown. The penultimate track of the album, “The Renegades“, even manages to have that epic melody that the title track attempted, but with a structure that does it the favours it needs.
While the guest feature on “Whose Side Are You On” works to the song’s benefit, the same cannot be said about the album’s other two guest features. In a career first, instead of entirely featuring his signature screams, “Atonement” features Lorna Shore frontman Will Ramos‘ clean vocals, contrasting Jones‘ screams. The track already balances too many ideas, yet overplays Ramos’ inclusion – whilst his delivery is strong, it’s over-mixed above a slow instrumental that sits uncomfortably with the surrounding riffs. On the other side of the spectrum, Svalbard singer Serena Cherry’s feature is almost so quiet in the song “Last Laugh” that it may take a few listens to truly hear them.
Striving towards a ‘bigger’ sound is often dismissed as selling out. Music that works well in a low capacity room is not the same as an arena, and that’s where Employed To Serve are headed. A successful recent example of a genre switch like this is Gatecreeper, and whilst I appreciated their move, and the influences that Employed To Serve lovingly pull from (In Flames, Soilwork, and Killswitch Engage), Fallen Star doesn’t pull off the same transition. It’s absolutely not a bad album, and the band’s earnest passion for all their influences burns throughout it. Its various elements simply don’t click together as they would like to. This is not a vote against the band pursuing the Scandi sound – here’s hoping they continue to find their feet within it, and make something truly legendary down the line.
6/10
Fallen Star is out April 25th through Spinefarm Records and you can pre-order it here.