CursesChapter II: Bloom

West Virginian post-hardcore rising stars Curses have made good on their signing to SharpTone Records with their first major label release, Chapter II: Bloom: a dreamy, soothing and uniquely heavy album that positions the band in their own sphere among the post-hardcore and metalcore scenes.

MORE: IN HEARTS WAKE: The Age Of Kaliyuga // DEFTONES: 20 Years Of Whit Pony // NORTHLANE: Live At The Roundhouse REVIEWS: NOFX/FRANK TURNER: West Coast Vs. Wessex // EMMURE: Hindsight // FANGZ: But No Thanks // IN HEARTS WAKE: Kaliyuga // PILLAGER: Forsaken Nation

Between the low growls and high-pitched screams, there’s something else going on in Chapter II: Bloom. From the moody and atmospheric opening of Almost Heaven, the album lulls listeners into a false sense of security with a mellow, post-rock sound before thrusting them into that more familiar post-hardcore brutality.

The mix of vocals between Brandon Casto, Eli Fry and Michael Olivares shifts between moody clean singing and vicious screams as gracefully as trees swaying in the wind; with listeners never quite sure what’s going to hit hard and what’s going to softly sway from song to song. Structurally the album flows perfectly from track to track, with softer, mellow breaks and the dreamy interlude Ascent creating a steady flow from each track into the next; no doubt helped by the album’s mixing. While at times some of the overlapping elements from track to track fade into a wall of noise, there is a certain serene quality to even the heavier parts of the album–like a lullaby for metalheads.

Chapter II: Bloom is a great alternative to the familiar heavy sound one would expect from a band in this scene; and a clear step forward in Curses’ experimental sound.

Rather than having some songs be heavy mosh-anthems and other mellow rock ballads, Curses use their distinct brand of metalcore to combine atmospheric background instrumentals with catchy vocal hooks and tricky guitar work, with tracks like 无为 (Wu Wei) and Breathe almost switching genres between verses. Those tracks, along with tracks like The Door in the Wall, sound more like a combination of songs than one concise track, blending in different styles and changing the pace as the songs progresses. That being said, Curses don’t avoid every post-hardcore/metalcore cliché, with songs like Toska singing the classic metalcore ode to ‘oblivion’ and much of the lyrics across the album capturing the ephemeral, dreamy subject matter of any good core band obsessed with the ether. Combined with the classic 2000’s metalcore voice samples on closing track Welcome Back, the band have a clear sense of the genre they’re operating within while subverting their conventions to a way that works best for them.

Tracks like Wetiko feel very close to some of The Devil Wears Prada’s earlier work, especially vocally, and songs like the penultimate track Follow the Fire instrumentally resemble the likes of Architects and The Dillinger Escape Plan in their erratic melodies, merged with a more post-rock sound that constantly keeps listeners guessing. Despite being the band’s major label debut, Chapter II: Bloom definitely carries that feeling of a young, home-town band, with songs across the album carrying the same passion and angst of any local band playing their first few shows for pennies in a local bar. The clear emotional force of lyrics like “Now I’m following/Following the fire ever burning inside of me” in Follow the Fire show Curses still have a passion burning inside of them that they need to get out.

That authenticity in Curses’ sound only strengthens the record. Combined with the band’s departure from their more conventional metalcore approach on their debut album Chapter I: Introspect, the more alt-rock inspired vocals and instrumentals on tracks like Amethyst and Breathe see the band carving out their own unique space in an over-crowded genre. A tranquil alternative for the post-hardcore and metalcore diehards looking to spice up their listening experience, Chapter II: Bloom is a great alternative to the familiar heavy sound one would expect from a band in this scene; and a clear step forward in Curses’ experimental sound.

STANDOUT TRACKS: The Door in the Wall, 无为 (Wu Wei), Amethyst, Breathe, Follow the Fire
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Silent Planet, The Devil Wears Prada, La Dispute