Live Review: Emmure - Hindsight
This is a brand new series where we’ll be reacting to brand new albums in live time. To kick off the series we’ll be covering the new Emmure record Hindsight. As you all know, Emmure are a veteran band of the scene known for their blend of deathcore, hardcore and later nu-metal as well as their extremely controversial vocalist Frankie Palmeri. Heading into 2020 Emmure is dropping their second album with an entirely new lineup besides Palmeri after a falling out with the rest of the band. The band has been through what I’d consider three era’s with the first being the bands most lyrically disturbing and most in line with deathcore before heading into a more juvenile style and now relying heavily on djent and nu-metal influences. With the intro out of the way let’s get to the record itself as we now hit play.
Right from the first track (F)inally (U)nderstanding (N)othing we hear a continued influence on a simplified and nu-metal influenced sound from the group. Over time it seems Emmure has decided to take the short and sweet approach almost 100% of the time. While sometime that can work great, it’s a double-edged sword whereas it can also lead to some tracks feeling incomplete. Trash Folder is an interesting track to analyze because I feel like I shouldn’t be enjoying it but for some odd reason I am. I hate to keep harping on it but the nu-metal pension for simple but catchy can be heard loud and clear on this one.
Now we’re hitting the three strong stretch of singles begging with Pigs Ear. I’m not a big fan of bands lumping singles together but I at least appreciate that the band didn’t begin the record with them as many others do. I’d have to see Gypsy Disco is the best of the run of singles although I felt like the track could’ve benefited from a few more twists and turns for length. Persona Non Grata is utterly basic lyrically but it’s undeniably fun and catchy and will undeniably be an easy track to replay.
The following and seventh track Thunder Mouth shows off a bit of a different vocal approach from Palmeri and keeps hammering home the bands knack for making simple things enjoyable. The song is clearly influenced by Korn with it’s thunderous bass and Palmeri’s beat box screaming right at the tale end of the track. Pan’s Dream opens with a nasty down-tuned guitar riff supplemented with a squealing pinched chord. If you strongly dislike repetitive music this record certainly isn’t for you but as for myself I’m enjoying most of this material more than I was expecting. It’s really a matter of how you view different varieties of music.
203 might be my favorite thing I’ve heard on Hindsight this far. The riff is absolutely pummeling and the slow brooding build ups placed between the explosiveness exhibits excellent musical placement. The main riff is once again clearly inspired by Korn but not in a way that I would call it ripping off, it’s more paying homage. The following track, Informal Butterflies, is very short and to the point. The breathy drums and altered vocals are a pretty cool touch but the track never really gets enough time to go anywhere leaving this one to come off as a bit of filler.
Action 52 starts with what sounds like a riff straight out of the year 2000. I’m feeling some Limp Bizkit vibes from this one, a band I know for a fact inspired Palmeri, something he hasn’t been shy about stating. This is another very short one but delivers more of a punch than the previous effort. Bastard Ritual continues a stretch of very short and abrupt songs, something that was clearly mapped out purposely by the band to maintain the listeners attention. This appears to be more of an interlude than a full on song though I have to had. Fourth single Uncontrollable Descent closes the record and remains one of, if not the best track on the record. It’s notably probably the track with the most variety on the record, something the band has decreased over time.
This was a bit of an odd one to review for me. I absolutely love the first era of Emmure but as of late I find much of their material to be a bit too short and repetitive. On Hindsight however despite still running into some of these problems, I feel like the band has progressed and become better at delivering more substance in a shorter amount of time. I feel a bit hypocritical because I criticized the new Suicide Silence album for many of the same faults but I feel this is more of what I expect from Emmure so I naturally view the two bands through a different lens. The record isn’t all sunshine and rainbows though as it loses steam towards its closing with a stretch of short songs that never really pick up. I am pleasantly surprised by Hindsight all and all and am comfortable with giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
