Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Symbolon - Rise Of The Antelopes EP


Tracklist:

1. Cerberus
2. Fragments
3. Rise Of The Antelopes
4. White Hills

Following yesterday's foray into German hardcore, today I'm moving across the border to Austria. Symbolon released their debut EP last November and have been notching up plenty of shows in their home country, including a support slot alongside Evergreen Terrace. As they're still pretty new, there's not a great deal else to say but I have a soft spot for metalcore and felt like giving this EP a shot.

Symbolon lists a lot of modern metal influences on their Facebook page and when you hear the intro riffs to Cerberus, you won’t be surprised by this. That said, impressions are very good as Symbolon are pretty damn heavy during the opening versus. The song is resplendent with a typically melodic chorus but the band doesn’t ruin it with any silly electronic touches, so it’s encouraging. Flo Wagner (who provides guitar and clean vocals) has quite a dramatic deep singing voice too. Another plus point with Symbolon is that they don’t lean to heavily on their American influences, especially in the vocal department. They stay on the right side of the metalcore fence on Fragments. The drumming is really strong when at full pelt and there’s a real low-end underpinning the music. The title-track starts with mid-paced stomp before erupting into a frenzy of kick-drumming. It’s strangely anthemic as the lead riffs ring out. Even though this genre of metal is seen as a stepping stone onto heavier things for a lot of people, there’s still plenty to enjoy if you’re less discerning. The EP ends with White Hills and with a clean vocal passage that regales “Waking The Fallen” era Avenged Sevenfold, as bold but rewarding move. Overall the song is well-structured and like the rest of the EP, you an tell that Symbolon weren’t content with just putting out any old material. They’ve thought about it and have proved that sometimes, simpler is better!

Symbolon don't seem to have the EP streaming online in full anywhere but you can view a video for the title track below:-


Symbolon Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SymbolonMusic

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