Weekly Update #16 – May 5, 2024

FEATURED ALBUM
Wristmeetrazor // Degeneration
Released: March 29, 2024

Wristmeetrazor has been interesting to follow for the last few years. I wouldn’t be surprised if their name turns some people away, but it truly fits the early metalcore sound that they are trying to revive. 

Kids these days might not realize this, but cutting and self harm was super prevalent in the early scene days (maybe it still is and I just don’t see posts from teenagers anymore…). Anyway, real scene veterans will remember how every big band used to take pictures with the same cardboard sign that basically said “things will get better.” So while Wristmeetrazor’s name might be edgy and a little cringe, there is a visceral connection between it and the history/culture of the music they are playing.

Early Wristmeetrazor was similar to SeeYouSpaceCowboy, especially with the raspy vocals. They had a theatrical flair and a sense of drama reminiscent of Drop Dead Gorgeous and Greeley Estates 

Now, three albums in, Wristmeetrazor has evolved in unexpected ways. Visually, their identity hasn’t changed much, but their sound is much more mature. I normally hate saying that, but it’s true in this case.

They traded in some screamo elements for grooves and melodic death metal riffs (similar to what As I Lay Dying was doing in 2005). They still have breakdowns, but the songs feel faster. I say it like that because I’m not sure if they’re actually faster or if it just sounds like that because they dropped most of the panic chords and adopted more of a thrash metal approach.

The best parallel is how Bullet For My Valentine shifted between ‘The Poison’ and ‘Scream Aim Fire.’ The Poison is still my favorite album from them, but it felt like they grew up a bit and gained a better understanding of straight up metal.

That parallel is especially fitting because “Trepanation” sounds like a heavy version of Bullet For My Valentine. As somebody who finds recent BFMV songs to be hit or miss, it’s very cool to hear Wristmeetrazor dial that sound up to eleven.

This is a very interesting album for me. There isn’t one particular aspect that I’m drawn to, but I continue to return to it because it advances a style of metalcore that I have always enjoyed and feel is underappreciated.

Playlist of New Songs

Quick playlist highlights:

– Rivers of Nihil parted ways with their longtime vocalist and now have their bassist filling the gap. Their 2018 album is still an absolute favorite of mine, but I was less impressed with their 2021 release. The bassist is doing a pretty good job, and I want to stay open to their future work, but I’m starting to accept that they might not ever hit that peak for me again.

– Gravemind is becoming a mix of Make Them Suffer and Alpha Wolf. I liked their deathcore sound, but I can definitely get behind this. The Polaris feature is solid.

– All That Remains released their first song in six years. It’s better than I expected. The chorus is kind of lackluster, but the heavy parts more than justify the effort.

– Gaerea ranked #14 on my 2022 album of the year list. This new song is much more accessible. They still have parts of their black metal identity, but this will appeal to a much wider audience. I suppose a slight change was to be expected after the vocalist switch – I think this might really work out for them.

– The new single from Our Hollow, Our Home is great. I’m not sure what it will take to really put them over the edge, but they’ve been making solid metalcore for years.

– Great American Ghost is one of my newest faves in recent years. Their 2022 EP was really good and it looks like they’re picking up where they left off.

– Speed is touring with Knocked Loose so I expect them to start gaining even more attention. I don’t normally care for this brand of hardcore but it’s fun every once in a while.

– I don’t get what Brojob is trying to do. I thought they were trying to be a serious band, but they’ve clearly gone back to their gimmick. Their new vocalist is also weaker than their last one.

– Here’s the obligatory Dal Av post. This project has gained another 110,000 monthly listeners since I posted about them two weeks ago (now sitting at 840,000). Absolutely wild growth.

DRAMA – $200 Merch

Sleep Token is selling a jacket for $200. I have to assume that it’s embroidered or super high quality. Still, that’s a steep price – can’t imagine paying for something like that myself. Sleep Token fans are a different breed though. They also paid $50 for a decorative coin that was slightly larger than a quarter.

DRAMA – AI Accusations

A band named Omerta accused Windwaker of being “creatively bankrupt” and using “obviously AI-generated cover art” for their upcoming album. Check it out below and see what you think.

For some reason, I feel like I’m worse than most people when it comes to spotting AI art. I just don’t look super closely or care much about it in the first place – if it looks cool, it looks cool. Well it turns out that this wasn’t AI-generated.

Windwaker shared a screenshot showing the creative process of the cover art, destroying Omerta and telling them to “cry about it.”

From The Archives

I referenced this in my Wristmeetrazor review, but how many of you remember this? It’s so crazy that every big artist had a picture holding this exact same sign. Pictured here are Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon) and Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens).

Shout out to my friend Evan Field for providing these photos. I was digging for so long and couldn’t find anything so I reached out for help. He might be an even bigger metalcore lore historian than me because he replied with these in like two minutes. His Twitter is @ThyArtIsMemes2 if you’re looking for some cool art and metal tweets.