It sometimes feels like ‘djent’ is something of a dirty word nowadays. It feels like every time the word is uttered, a distant groan can be heard from a metal dude in a battle jacket, complaining about how “it just ain’t the same no more.” Despite that, one of the bands that seems to be (at least relatively) universally revered in the genre is Erra. Whether it be their intricate riffing, or their gargantuan, soaring choruses; Erra have remained one of the most beloved bands of their genre. Weirdly enough though, despite enjoying a great deal of their discography from a range of their different eras and vocalists, but they never had that song for me, they never quite clicked. That was until August 2020 rolled around, five months deep into the pandemic, and I was consuming music at almost all moments. Around that time Erra dropped ‘Snowblood,’ the first single from their (then unannounced) new self-titled record. “That sounds interesting, I’ll give it a shot.” I said to myself, unaware of how absolutely mind-blown I would be by this track. From its massive, infectious chorus, to its chunky technical riff-work; I knew immediately that if this song was a sign of things to come, then I needed to keep my eye on this band.
And a sign of things to come, it absolutely was.
As the months rolled by and single after single was dropped for this thing (five in total, quite a hefty amount) I became more and more excited. Every song that was coming out was great, and exactly what I wanted to hear after ‘Snowblood.’ Second and fourth singles ‘House of Glass,’ and ‘Scorpion Hymn’ particularly impressed me, with the former’s massive, atmospheric breakdown likely having inflicted a few thousand metal fans with permanent stank-face. The latter of the two tracks delves into pure djent heaven, with the track’s main riff feeling like it was pulled right out of Fredrik Thordendal’s back pocket. The pure Meshuggah-worship guitar work and the dangerous levels of groove on here are sure to cause some involuntary at-home crowdkilling.
Blind aggression isn’t all this record has to offer. In fact, Erra has a lot of surprises in store for the more melodically inclined of you. Chiefly, now-veteran unclean vocalist JT Cavey is seen branching out and expanding his vocal range on the album, including the much-welcomed addition of clean vocals. These new dynamics lead to some fantastic trade-offs between him and second vocalist/guitarist Jesse Cash on aforementioned tracks ‘House of Glass,’and‘Snowblood.’ Jesse Cash is also a major standout on this record, providing some of his best choruses and guitar work to date on tracks like ‘Vanish Canvas’and ‘Remnant,’ the former of which may take the cake in having the best chorus I’ve heard all year. It’s genuinely beautiful stuff, and gorgeous moments like that are scattered all throughout this record.
Standout track ‘Gungrave’ truly shows the spectrum of what Erra are capable of as musicians. While potentially being the heaviest offering on the album, it simultaneously boasts one of the most soaring choruses on the record. Closer ‘Memory Fiction’ also impresses, rounding the record off with a big explosive prog-metal ballad; replete with twinkly riffs, sombre piano work and a big emotional hook to tantalize your ears. A real lighters-out, arms swaying in rhythm type song.
Lyrically, this record frequently stands out as well. Third single ‘Divisionary’takes on the topic of technology dominating our discourse, a topic that is frequently diluted into the most basic “technology bad”-level criticisms. Though Erra handles the topic with grace, taking a more poetic approach with lyrics such as:
“Connected and polarized, division is catalysed
Pseudo selves we fantasize, unity is bastardized”
If I were to criticize the album for anything, I would say that mid-album track ‘Lunar Halo’ doesn’t hit quite as hard as many of the other cuts on this record. Granted, it’s still a wonderful track, with some absolutely mesmerizing guitar work, but the song’s chorus just doesn’t quite contain that same flawless punch as many of the tracks on here. In all honesty though, this is a very minor criticism, this song is great, and given that’s the lowest bar of quality set on this entire thing, I’d say that speak volumes for just how good this album is.
Another important factor in my vastly heightened enjoyment of this record versus their other work is the production. Producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland have created one of the most tightly produced, fun and huge sounding metalcore records I’ve heard in recent memory. The pure clarity in the mixes across this album is something to behold. At once punishingly heavy, providing just the right amount of grit to give you that involuntary stank face; and at another perfectly serene and beautiful. Everything sounds full and clear, despite what sounds like an insane amount of tracks at play in almost all of these songs; from mass amounts of vocal layering to equally gritty and soaring synths, there’s so much to dissect in the ambience alone on this record.
Erra is far and away my favourite project this band has crafted to date. Its sheer scale and variety were enough to win me over, but the true showcasing of what feels like Erra’s full arsenal really works to make this feel like the full package. Every single song here is a hit, with many easily being my top Erra tracks thus far. Knowing that they’re capable of such great things, it makes me incredibly excited to see what’s next for the band. Here’s to hoping it won’t be too far away.
9.5/10