“Found solace in silence with nothing left to mourn.”
On immediate inspection, it would seem that the aesthetic and sound that Not Enough Space are going after wouldn’t work. Channelling that metalcore sound that briefly took over in the early 2010s and brandishing it as their own under the label “moancore” might be the most eyebrowing raising made up genre since Ghost On Pegasus Bridge came out with “epic core” as part of their rollout on The Darkest Shore in 2009. There is also the way they brandish their Asking Alexandria influence, which takes the cogs in the mind a moment to remember that once upon a time, they did actually make some good music.
Yet after a few years with some not-so-spectacular releases, and the addition of a vocalist Liv Mitchell alongside Lizzie Raatma, it now does seem that Not Enough Space have become a band where it all does actually work – and work quite well. While earlier efforts had put Not Enough Space on the radar, there was a certain edge lacking, which in hindsight was the sign of a band simply seeing what actually works for them. The very first single from Weaponize Your Rage, “Primitive“, showcased that there might be an act on the cusp of something.
Across Weaponize Your Rage, the immediate grab will be the dual vocals and the sheer range their contrasting vocals allow; growls, snarls, shrieks and the grandiose cleans. The link-up between Liv and Lizzie is impressive, and truthfully the return of a dual vocal performance as a staple is a welcome return, even with the likes of Eschalon showing the energy and scale it can give to a band. The sheer contrast between the harsh, with vocals hooks that sink into the mind, make for a memorable vocal performance. While they do have that 2010s stylings with the lyricism, the chorus on the title track “Just crash and burn, watch the world fall away, don’t play the victim” has an earworm nature to it.
Early singles such as “Solace In Silence” did suggest that Not Enough Space would follow that well-trodden metalcore structure of harsh vocals and a nice clean vocal chorus. Weaponize Your Rage doesn’t play ball to that, with tracks “Devil Left Me On Ready” and “Kill Eat Repeat” being absolute ragers that would form circle pits in a live setting, with the former teasing on the 00s deathcore revival sound with its pig squeals. The other side does come out in what is one of the record’s high points, in “Don’t Let Go“. The heartfelt and expansive track has a captivating emotion to it that feels familiar to what Dream State produce in their heyday on Primose Path. It’s just one of those tracks that would be absolutely perfect for an AMV of Inuyasha, Full Metal Alchemist, or an anime of your choosing.
There are perhaps a few more pop and post-hardcore cuts on Weaponize Your Rage that don’t land as well. “Waiting For You” is just a straightforward pop-punk track that feels somewhat flat, drawing from a genre that has exhausted itself, and doesn’t match the energy of the wider record. Also a miss-match are the DnB-esque beats infused into the opening of “New Age Cannibal“, feeling obtuse any time they emerge on the record, in this case dragging down what would otherwise be a perfectly good track.
Weaponize Your Rage exits on “Dancing On My Grave“, a track that has an over-the-top nature to it in a very good way. It fully shows what has made this chapter of Not Enough Space work, despite the fact it could have gone the other way. They have full embraced and owned their sound. Together with the more than impressive vocal performance from both Liv and Lizzie, this makes for a record that has the potential to draw in a wider following.
7/10
Weaponize Your Rage is out September 12th via Thriller Records and can be pre-ordered here.