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| Expire - 'Pretty Low' |
I’ve been waiting for this for a quite a while now and I have to admit it was more than worth the wait to listen to it! Yet again Expire have smashed it and created another fantastic, powerful record. Pretty Low features 11 brand new tracks which are a little longer on track lengths than their usual material which is a bonus. I’d love to end the review here and just state that you need to listen to this now, however that would be a little silly of me as I need to describe how great this record is. Easily one of the strongest releases of the year. Each track is equally as heavy as the next and Expire keep to their trend of dark, gloomy and bleak lyrics.
I can’t fault a single track and the vocals are equally as raw and shredding as their previous releases (possibly even more so), Josh has some serious throaty screams which complements the heaviness of the instrumentals. The introduction track Pretty Low sets the tone for the record, the down tuned guitars kick in with meaty riffs and the drums crashing alongside this. This is definitely a record to play loud, Just Don’t and Fiction keep the rapid tempo going throughout. One listen and I’m hooked. I particularly like the part in Just Don’t where it slows and you can hear the chunky bass line, so catchy!
Gravity is one of the most mosh-worthy songs on the record and has a heavy breakdown going on towards the end. Nobody starts soon after this and has a frenzy of smashing drum rhythms and more chugging riffs that kick you in the face. There’s some really entertaining and energetic 2 step style riffs towards the mid-end of this track and is also evident in Old Habits. From here onwards, through tracks like Forgetting, Rejection and Second Face they really show the true rawness and darkness of Expire. I think the second half of the record will capture the listeners more as it just seems to take all the anger from the first half and multiply it by a million. The vocals are fantastic and really show off the dark side of this band and makes you want to lose your mind.
Pretty Low is the birth of a monster and takes all the best bits of hardcore that people want to hear, combining it with metallic elements but not to the point of it becoming a metal record. Expire have progressed a hell of an amount since their demo released in 2009. I didn’t think they could get any angrier and heavier than Pendulum Swings but they have exceeded that expectation and have produced a record of full of viciousness, anger and rawness. Order it now because I think you’re gonna love it!
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