“Malignant souls hid underneath a guise.“
It wasn’t that long ago when Gore. fired their first shot out of the barrel with “Pray“, one that made such an impact that it was difficult not to see the Texas unit as the next big thing within metalcore. Packed with gorgeous melodies delivered by vocalist Roughton alongside instrumentals and harsher vocals with a crunching bite, it felt as if another blue chip prospect had emerged. Yet on reflection of the EP that followed, A Bud That Never Blooms, it is perhaps only the debut single and “Babylon” that come out with any major merit. These titanic tracks stood above the others, which either delved into slightly obtuse lyricism (“Doomsday“) or leant too much on influences of other acts.
Ultimately, it did serve as a major launching pad for Gore., securing a spot on Download‘s line-up this year and penning a contract with Spinefarm Records, which is pretty good going. Even if they are lucky enough to reach such heights early in their career, expectations and comparisons to other new acts will no doubt mount. Their next foray came with “Sepsis” as the lead single from their latest batch of work, If You Do Not Fear Me…, which one might have hoped would have been a full length, as opposed to another EP.
Much as “Pray” did, “Sepsis” was nothing short of impressing. Roughton‘s towering vocals push the track into a rage on its verses before delving into her sublime cleans. The range at hand, later showcased on “Like You Meant It“, has to be one of the strongest going. The snarl of “forty days and forty nights / making Christ weep” feels as if it could rip the ear off. The religious themes that If You Do Not Fear Me… touches on across the record, alongside Roughton‘s clean vocals, give it an angelic atmosphere.
Entering If You Do Not Fear Me… from its outset, “Wrath” welcomes us with heavy riff work and a touch of the guitar whammy. It’s the closest the record comes to the heavy moments of its predecessor (“Heaven Is Above Me” and “Angels Like You“), adding in a salvo of a breakdown that breaks the record awake. It does fall into the pitfalls of prior tracks, where it just sounds a bit too much you know who.
“Orbiting” does present another problem that Gore. have, as their structures just feels all too familiar. While it does touch on more progressive riff work and some juicy bass, it’s a clear moment where the pattern of harsh-into-clean vocals becomes overdone. Even as the well-timed breakdown follows through, it doesn’t advance beyond what Gore. established on A Bud That Never Blooms. If You Do Not Fear Me… does close out on a much stronger note with “Like You Meant“, where Roughton delivers ruminating vocals in its early vocals, feeling reminiscent of some of the standout acts from the 00s. Just as the vocals soar, elevating the track into something much grander, the snarl that Roughton delivers so well returns as “I guess every parasite needs its host / and this host has nowhere to go” is delivered over a breakdown.
It’s difficult not to be torn over Gore. and their output. There are elements of what they have crafted that, by their own admission, are just iterations of the likes of Sleep Token and Evanescence, bands that have defined a sound to their detriment. It’s as if Gore. are producing music that metalcore fans will already like rather than trying to challenge the boundaries of the genre. There are many excellent moments on this record which Roughton lifts by the scruff of the neck and carries. In isolation, “Sepsis” is levels above much of what the modern metalcore genre is outputting now, and closer “Like You Meant” shows what the band can achieve with some creative songwriting. Gore. will undoubtedly go onto be a success; whether they can make a sound that is truly their own is yet to be fully seen.
6/10
If You Do Not Fear Me… releases October 3rd via Spinefarm Records.