“I gave you nails hammered with the weight of your indifference.”
Among the many bands that evoke the era of MySpace 3-5-7 metalcore, few capture the sound as perfectly as Connecticut’s Balmora. Bursting into the scene with the stellar With Thorns of Glass and Petals of Grief two years ago, it quickly became clear that Balmora would be a band to watch for fans of this metalcore revival sound. After teaming up with the late Since My Beloved on a fantastic split EP, Balmora have now released Prologue, a short but impactful three track EP that has seemingly come out of nowhere—but is a welcome surprise all the same.
As with prior material, Balmora continue to fire on all cylinders here. While there is certainly a tried-and-true formula at play, Balmora execute it in a way that just works. This three track EP is packed with melodic metalcore riffs, crushing breakdowns, and a powerful vocal performance that perfectly complements the sound. The production is spot-on too—it’s raw and unpolished, avoiding any overproduction while still maintaining enough clarity for every element of the music to come through strong and clear.
Opening track “Blighted to Pine” is a shining example, where the initial half of the track really delivers in the heaviness department with a breakdown reminiscent of their MySpace deathcore counterparts, while the track’s latter half features some addictive 3-5-7 riffs in the vein of groups such as As Blood Runs Black. Balmora’s sound strikes a delicate balance between heaviness and melodicism, and this is further reinforced by the following two tracks “The Day I Died, I Heard No Singing” and “Bloodlord”. These are slightly longer cuts than the opener and are even better at conveying the group’s ability to transition between mosh and melody with ease. The latter “Bloodlord” is perhaps the strongest example as it has a rather lengthy breakdown in its mid section, but manages to transition beautifully into a tremolo-picked melodic section right before it can overstay its welcome.
While Prologue doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, it doesn’t outright need to, as it more than accomplishes what it sets out to do. It’s a brief, focused release that wraps up before it can tire itself out, making for a solid addition to the Ephyra and DAZE catalog. If you’re craving a return to metalcore’s roots, this is a band you’ll want to watch—particularly as they head out on a US tour alongside other bands in this revival space.
8/10
Prologue is out now via DAZE & Ephyra and can be ordered here.