“You said truth is a wound that never closes, and I believed you.“
Deathcore revival has been thrown around an awful lot over the last few years, with the now-titans PSYCHO-FRAME really kicking off the renaissance of the genre, spawning many new acts in their wake. The likes of Mauled, Rev3rant, and Girl of Glass come to mind as some of the more promising acts within the scene, each bringing with them a unique take on the genre, whether that be leaning fully into the cheesier aspects of it or moving in a much more serious direction. There have been plenty of newcomers who, sadly, just do not bring anything special to the table, failing to innovate on what came before, and often falling short of even imitating the spark of those who came before them. That’s where Hereswhereitallends come in, looking to leapfrog themselves past all the sub-par imitators and land up there with some modern heroes. Shards of Shattered Memories is the band’s first true attempt at achieving these lofty ambitions.
Before diving into the EP, it’s worth us calling out that this band is very new. Having only a single officially released single until now, Hereswhereitallends have been steadily amassing a cult following in the live circuit. Where once MySpace and other web forums would have enabled bands like this to spread like wildfire, it has become increasingly tough to cut through the noise and reach your intended audience. Recognising this, Hereswhereitallends have focused on slowly building up a fan base through putting on stellar live performances instead, debuting plenty of unreleased material along the way, and building up anticipation for a debut release.
Shards of Shattered Memories is but a taste of what Hereswhereitallends are capable of. In a short time span of just under twelve minutes, the band showcases its abilities in a variety of styles, taking influences from deathcore of the past, modern metalcore revival acts, and perhaps even some of their modern contemporaries. It’s an incredibly fun listen, and from the very first listen, it is evident that these tracks were designed to be played live. “One Last Goodbye” sees the band flirt between slow, low-tuned chugs, faster-paced metalcore-leaning riffage, blast beats, and snare bombs loud enough to blow your speakers. It’s got a little bit of everything, incredibly playful in its implementation, but never taking things too far. There’s a level of restraint to every choice that allows the band to play around with tropes of the genre whilst avoiding the pitfalls of many of their peers.
The title track may well be this EP’s magnum opus, though, with its metalcore-leaning approach standing up against many of the modern greats. There are times here where comparisons can be drawn to many of the scene’s more established newcomers in CrossMyHeart and I Promised The World. In fact, the only thing holding it, and the rest of the EP, back from true greatness is the mix, which is something entirely forgivable given that the band is very new and this is a debut EP. The mix on the whole is passable, with the guitars sounding especially great. What lets the EP down a little in this regard is the inconsistency of the vocal and drum mix. There are moments where they sound incredible, and when this happens, it’s very easy to forget that this is a new band. But these moments are juxtaposed all too often, with there being times that feel as if you’re listening to the raw stems overlapped rather than blended into a final product. This is something that we’re putting down to it being their first time recording an EP, and hope to see resolved on future releases.
Despite this critical shortcoming, Shards of Shattered Memories still showcases an awful lot of promise and skill among the youngsters. For a debut release, it’s incredibly hard to ask for much more, and given how early on in their careers they are, there’s plenty of scope for them to hone their abilities and become scene frontrunners. If you’re able to catch Hereswhereitallends live, you absolutely should – these tracks will undoubtedly sound massive in a live setting, and you’d be doing them and yourself a disservice not to experience that. As for us here at Boolin, we’ll be keeping a keen eye on the group. They’re oozing potential and clearly enjoy what they’re doing, and that’s something which is few and far between in the genre nowadays and deserves to be cherished.
7.5/10
Shards of Shattered Memories was released on March 16th and can be purchased on Bandcamp.