Defined By Enemies is the short sharp aggressive début from Romeo Must Die, a British metalcore outfit with an impressive pedigree.
Romeo Must Die features Adam Frank-Sims and Ben Frost among its roster of musicians, both formerly of now-defunct UK metal legends Stampin’ Ground. Defined By Enemies carries on the tradition started by that earlier band – a tradition of blending brutally aggressive strains of metal and hardcore without pandering to the latest MySpace fads.
Romeo Must Die play music that truly deserves the tag “metalcore”. What you get with Defined By Enemies is seven tracks of savage and bloody-knuckled low-slung grooves: heavy chugging chords and occasional screaming lead lines from the guitars welded tightly on top of rock-solid high precision drumming and juggernaut basslines.
Romeo Must Die’s riffs contain the memory of classic New York hardcore, but they’ve acquired their own uniquely British character as the scene on this side of the Atlantic has developed its own style. There’s a more metallic edge to the sound, and a certain dignity to the traditional defiant stance described by Frank-Sims’ guttural vocals.
The format of Defined By Enemies is interesting, too; clocking in at just twenty-three minutes long, it doesn’t outstay its welcome, but gives Romeo Must Die a chance to show off their skills with plenty of variety. Kudos to In At The Deep End Records for doing these mini-album releases, and for passing the savings on to the fans in the process.
While it’s a fine little chunk of mosh-pit violence in its own right, Defined By Enemies is also a welcome sign that the independent UK metal scenes are still busy beneath the radar of the slick and stereotypical MySpace clones; Romeo Must Die could give most of the bands that masquerade under the banner of metalcore a serious run for their money.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Defined By Enemies, hardcore, metal, metalcore, Romeo Must Die
