“I’m bleeding through your soul before I sever it.“
A stalwart in the UKHC scene, Guilt Trip have made a name for themselves worldwide through their simple-yet-effective, riff-forward hardcore stylings. Having recently co-headlined a US tour with their peers in Malevolence, they’re arguably at the peak of their careers and show little to no signs of slowing down. With the release of their third studio album, Armour Of Angels, they look set to continue their ongoing global domination.
If you’re even remotely into UKHC, then by now you’ve almost certainly seen, or at the very least heard of, Guilt Trip. If you somehow haven’t, then where the fuck have you been? The Manchester five-piece exploded onto the scene almost ten years ago and has been a mainstay ever since. A signing to Roadrunner Records following a lengthy spell under the MLVLTD banner, topped off by an Adidas collaboration of all things, means Guilt Trip have a lot going for them. With Armour Of Angels, they look to further bolster their position as scene heroes.
To be upfront about this record, if you didn’t already like Guilt Trip, then there’s absolutely zero chance this album will win you over. Armour Of Angels is a quintessential Guilt Trip album. It doesn’t change or tamper with the formula; it experiments slightly but never strays too far from the group’s core sound. That’s all well and good, and if you were already a fan, then great, you’ll find plenty here to enjoy. If, however, you weren’t convinced by the band’s previous efforts, then you’ll find little additional here to latch onto. Yes, they change things up here and there, but on the whole, just like their other releases, Armour Of Angels is very much more of the same. This is neither a good nor a bad thing, but simply a statement of fact. Much like Marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it.
Now, getting into the real meat and potatoes, so to speak, Armour Of Angels has its highs and lows. There’s more emphasis than ever on the instrumentation, with particular attention paid to transitions and how the album flows together as a cohesive piece. One particular highlight in this regard is the transition between “Blood Atonement” and “Cut From God“, which is absolutely seamless. This level of care is maintained throughout the album and, as somebody who typically listens to records in full rather than cherry-picking individual tracks, it goes a long way towards making the experience more enjoyable.
There’s also more clean singing than ever across this album, something that will undoubtedly prove divisive for some listeners. “Dirt“, one of the album’s lead singles, acts as a litmus test for this approach, introducing cleans into the fold without pushing too far. “Veins” then doubles down on the idea, pairing the band’s newfound confidence with contrastingly heavy vocals. In many ways, “Veins” stands out as one of the album’s highlights, experimenting with the typical Guilt Trip formula more than any other track, unfolding as a sprawling epic that progresses through a variety of styles while gradually becoming heavier as it goes. We’re then, of course, thrown back into more familiar territory, with “No Love Lost” following the band’s signature style once more.
Speaking of experimentation, there’s “Resurrected”, which sounds a bit less like your typical Guilt Trip track, and a bit more like something you’d hear from the likes of Gridiron. Doubling down on the hip-hop elements of their sound, the concept here is neat, but in reality, it just feels like a cheap imitation of other bands already doing this sound. Of course, that makes perfect sense when you account for the fact that there’s a feature from P.O.D’s Sonny Sandoval here. It’s something which will pop off live, but in a studio setting just feels a bit strange.
Where Armour Of Angels struggles somewhat is with its variety and length. Whilst there are occasional tracks that switch things up, on the whole it’s quite a samey record. There’s been a clear effort to alleviate this, whether through stylistic detours or the inclusion of an interlude (creatively titled “Interlude“…) to break things up. Despite these efforts, it’s hard not to come away from the album feeling somewhat fatigued. In a live setting, this isn’t a problem, as the band injects plenty of energy into the experience and gets the crowd involved, but in an album format, it absolutely matters, and it’s a fairly significant issue here. The solution? Perhaps it would’ve made sense to trim a track or two. With this style of music, that’s perfectly acceptable and would likely have worked in the band’s favour.
Armour Of Angels is, once again, more of the same. While the band does try to stretch itself here and there in an effort to break out of their typical formula, they never quite go far enough. Despite this, fans of the band will undoubtedly adore the album. I want to stress that, although I feel this album has more than a few shortcomings, I know full well that in a live setting it will absolutely pop the fuck off. Guilt Trip has an impressive ability to turn everything up to 10 when performing live, and it’s this quality that keeps so many fans coming back for more. In this regard, the songwriting almost takes a back seat; as long as the songs are catchy enough and have a danceable energy, they’ll work. Maybe that’s all that’s needed – perhaps I’m expecting too much. In any case, Armour Of Angels is worth checking out if you’re already a fan of the band. Hell, even if you’re not, give it a spin just to be sure – just temper your expectations.
