Our Last EnemyAs Within So Without

For over a decade, Aussie industrial metal purveyors Our Last Enemy have routinely honed their sonic alchemy, with their sonic palette largely woven with nods to Rammstein, Fear Factory, Nine Inch Nails and beyond.

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But picking up where their 2021 EP As Above So Below left off, 2023 finds the group not only concluding the creative journey begun years ago, but also resolutely showcasing that evolution can go hand-in-hand with nostalgia via their brand new EP As Within So Without. 

Opening with a rusty acoustic guitar, As Within So Without snarls in via Hex Design; a seemingly unexpected addition to the Our Last Enemy repertoire but one that nonetheless opens the floodgates for some tantalising progression from the group, and also providing as close to a “party” track as possible for a band in the industrial and metal realms. Pulsing with menacing electronics, pummeling drumwork and searingly fun metal, Hex Design not only features Our Last Enemy’s first tune to include an acoustic slide guitar; it’s also a smart choice to kick off proceedings as the band progressively churn you into an abyss via the EP’s remaining four tracks.

Our Last Enemy manifest a gripping collection of songs that relish in defiant discomfort and sharp sensibilities that demand your attention if you dare.

From the monstrous grooves of Bless The Fall to some gleeful horror-tinged death metal bursting with industrial brutality on Still Breathing, also featuring a towering appearance from Thy Art Is Murder’s CJ McMahon, Our Last Enemy fling everything including the kitchen sink into their goth rave stompers that could simultaneously soundtrack the end of the world and also potentially any Matrix-themed nightclubs. But Our Last Enemy aren’t just a one-trick pony, with the EP’s penultimate track Slay For Me showcasing their knack for leaning full-throttle into discomfort, emerging with a hulking display of droning rhythms that permeate both the song’s verses and chorus. And just as As Within So Without kicked off with industrial revelry, it draws to a close with thunderous rage, with the aptly titled Ad Undas (loosely translating from Latin meaning “to the waves” when everything has failed and is going to hell) dragging you into the depths with drawling soundscapes, dense walls of sound and stomping brutality that somberley ebbs out with a solitary hazy guitar and wavering undertones.

A rigorous, occasionally callous, and immersive display, As Within So Without on its own is a taut and bite-sized listening experience, however fans would be well advised to also consume the EP alongside its predecessor, As Above So Below, to fully experience Our Last Enemy’s meticulous metamorphosis. Taking on the Hermetic philosophic expression “as within, so without” on this latest EP, a perspective that draws on the idea that who we are on the inside will be created in the world around us, Our Last Enemy manifest a gripping collection of songs that relish in defiant discomfort and simmers with sharp sensibilities that demand your attention if you dare.

STICK THIS NEXT TO: Fear Factory, Nine Inch Nails, Static-X