Subservience: Upheaval review
Metal\’s ability to marry every instrument, including the vocals, is indeed unique. In other popular genres, singers tower over the band and litter the music with glitter and celebrity. Metal, however, treats the voice in equal measure with the band.
On October 17, Subservience releases an EP, Upheaval, in which they introduce a new vocalist; and consequently, a new sound. Dan Lofthouse has a lower register than his predecessor, so the band traded their trademark slash-and-stab riffs to more melodic chord progressions. For example, “Inhuman Savagery,” the single they unveiled earlier this month, will resonate with fans of post-hardcore. I didn\’t want to say it is soft. But is it softer than, say, “Gunshot Autopsy?” Yes, it is.
I do not like their new sound, but I commend them for blending a genre that has become vulgarly feminine with their doom-riddled roots in grindcore. The other three tracks on this EP save “Inhuman Savagery” from its structural redundancy.
Lofthouse brings grooviness to an already far-out band. His dance with the bass proves invaluable to the noise itself. I found myself turning back to “Slither” because it was just so danceable; a quality for which I believe Subservience was striving. Feedback bleeds into the drums as the bass and the voice dance their dance. It is eclectic, exotic, and authentic.
Subservience is known for dissolution in their lyrics and anger in their instrumentation. Upheaval successfully bridges the two. Novice fans of American post-hardcore will find the sonic treasures they seek here. But if you\’re not careful, you may stumble into gleaming shards of metal.
7/10
-Andrew Harris