Every Time I Die - Radical
Every Time I Die
Radical
Release Date: October 22nd, 2021
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Epitaph Records
I’m always looking forward to hearing what a band like Every Time I Die brings forth in terms of new music. I finally had the chance to see them in 2017 (on a bill with none other than Knocked Loose and Harm’s Way) and it was easily one of the most chaotically beautiful hardcore performances I’ve ever witnessed. The singles for this album, “Planet Shit” and “Post-Boredom”, were getting me excited. Yet, once the latter single dropped, I saw longtime fans do what they always do when they hear something slightly different: panic. Several of my peers lamented that the band was getting “soft”.
Well, I have good news. Within the first ten seconds of Radical’s first track “Dark Distance”, it’s incredibly clear to see that this band have not come close to losing their heaviness. It’s unrelenting, in your face, and without mercy for all sixteen tracks. Vocalist Keith Buckley’s ferocity and passion are up-front in every single track, shining in both melodic choruses on tracks like “White Void” and “Post-Boredom”, and viscerally heavy offerings like “Colossal Wreck”, “Distress Rehearsal”, and “All This And War”. The album slows down on “Things With Feathers”, the eighth track, and easily the most different from all of the others present. It was a good choice to place this song directly at the album’s halfway point, giving listeners a chance to breathe, while also showcasing another side of this band that is often not seen.
The lyrics throughout Radical reflect on the unrest within humanity over these last several years, noting that while things still need a lot of work, people have the power to be the change that they want to see. This isn’t a far step above the previous lyrical entries from Every Time I Die, but these words feel more relevant now than they ever have in recent years. It’s hard for me to single out any one track as a favorite, because they all blend together so well, working as a cohesive unit rather than a mish-mash of standalone singles that you can mosh to in a darkened room (although that’s always an option).
Radical was produced by Will Putney, one of the leading producers in hardcore and heavy metal. Putney is a perfect choice for an Every Time I Die record, as he manages to always bring out the best in a band’s performance. On Radical, the New York-based hardcore five piece sound better than I’ve heard them from the standpoints of musicianship, lyricism, and songwriting. Fear not, friends; Every Time I Die are as heavy as ever, and it’s only a matter of time before they bringing this album to live in circle pits around the world.
Every Time I Die
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