Emecia Releases Familiar Spirits, A Skillful And Passionate Record
Releasing their debut EP Pariah in 2014, Adelaide, Australia hardcore band Emecia has dropped their full length album Familiar Spirits, a heart stopping record that has led the five piece to share the stage with groups such as Blessthefall, From Moths To Flames, and The Color Morale. With songs such as “Deathsinger,” front man and vocalist Scott Middlin hits listeners right in the gut with his screaming vocals and edgy performance. While his voice may take awhile to get used to if you are not familiar with the hardcore genre, the rest of the group sweeps listeners off their feet, with their brain lodging riffs and a seemingly innate sense of what works musically in a song.
Tracks such as “Even If It Kills Us,” shows off the ability of guitarists Trevor Lehmann and Marty Ainscow, performing intricate riffs, perfectly in sync with each other, that fit in perfectly with bassist Jake Gaston, and drummer Peter Beveridge. With energetic performances all throughout, the rhythm section shows off their chops and gives their fans a good idea of how they connect with fans during live shows.
Closing with the powerful song “Victims,” Emecia takes their listeners on one last go around with their fast, harried, and tough sound, firmly planting themselves as upstarts to look at in the Australian hardcore scene. With so much to offer with their music, it is only a matter of time for a group like Emecia make their way to the United States and crush it.
Listen to “Deathsinger” below.
Featured photo: Steven Cook
Emecia Releases Familiar Spirits, A Skillful And Passionate Record was originally published on Listen Here Reviews
Album Review by Bradley Christensen
Blessthefall – Witness
Record Label: Fearless
Release Date: October 6 2009
Whenever I see something new from the post-hardcore / metalcore band Blessthefall, I’m always shocked, because I keep forgetting that they’re still a thing. I know that sounds bad to say, almost like I’m bashing them, but Blessthefall is one of those bands that really shouldn’t be around. Not because I think they suck, or that they’re one of the worst bands ever, but it’s mainly that they haven’t done anything with their sound in the last nine years that’s interesting, worthwhile, or really good. They’ve just been coasting by, and it’s like, “Who really cares about them anymore?” The band just announced that they signed to Rise Records, and they have a new album coming out, which is cool, because Rise was the label for all of these bands back in the day, but at the same time, I’m just wondering why. No one’s really demanding a Blessthefall album these days, but I won’t lie – their first couple albums are bangers. I haven’t heard 2007’s His Last Walk in a long, long time, but I remember that one being pretty good. It was the only album to feature Craig Mabbitt, whom you might know as the current vocalist of Escape The Fate (and the Dead Rabbitts if you follow his other work), but 2009’s Witness is the album that I remember most of all from them. It was the first album that featured current vocalist Beau Bokan, and it seemed like the band was blowing up in the post-hardcore scene. I don’t recall if there was any kind of beef with Blessthefall at that time, and I don’t think so, because I just remember being really curious about who Bokan was. They released a couple of songs with him before Witness came out, and I was actually quite impressed with them. The band was going into a bit of a heavier sound, but Bokan’s clean vocals were surprisingly solid, ultimately being able to offer some catchy, memorable, and well-performed hooks that metalcore can sometimes lack.
I remember listening to the follow-up to that LP, 2011’s Awakening, and not caring about it. Even back then, when it came out, I didn’t like it, because it just sounded like they were trying way too hard to copy Witness. They’ve released a few albums since then, but they’ve barely made waves. They’re one of those bands that people are like, “Oh, Blessthefall, I was into them years ago,” and that’s the extent of it. Witness was a really, really good record, but they’ve never been able to top it. I can kind of understand why, whether it’s because they’ve been coasting all this time, or Witness is a genuinely great album. It’s one of those metalcore albums from back in the day that was deemed as a “classic.” Blessthefall was a band to watch out for at one point in time, and Witness showed people that, yeah, they have talent. My favorite kind of metalcore back then was the kind of that had really talented vocalists, meaning that they can actually utilize a catchy and memorable hook, along with heavy and brutal instrumentation, essentially having a good balance between catchy hooks and brutal verses and instrumentation. Witness was one of my favorite albums back then, because of how it had every single element that I loved in that style of music, but I’ve wondered how it would hold up today, considering it’s been around eight years since I’ve listened to this album. I decided to pick up a copy, since I’ve been into tons of albums that I used to listen to when I was around 15 – 17. This is definitely one of those albums, but I’m happy to say that Witness has held up quite well since it first came out. It’s funny, too, because every time I hear this album, I’m just like, “Man, what happened to this band?” It’s true, though, because I keep wondering why Blessthefall was never able to top this record. Maybe it’s just nostalgia, and I thought that at first, but when I actually listened to it, I was surprised at how nice this album sounds. It’s got the perfect metalcore sound. This is what bands wanted to sound like in the mid-00s.
Witness is a perfect metalcore album, and it’s right up there with Memphis May Fire’s debut LP, Of Mice & Men’s debut LP, Jamie’s Elsewhere’s They Said A Storm Was Coming, The Devil Wears Prada’s Plagues, and tons more albums that came out around this time. With that said, this album is rather generic, because it’s not like they’re doing anything that those other bands didn’t do already. The thing is, it’s a very well-done album. Every element on this album is executed perfectly. The vocals, both harsh and clean, are very good, the instrumentation is very good, and the lyrics are quite good, too, despite being a bit whiny and clichéd in spots. This album is a bit unique, I guess, because there are a few songs that don’t feature any screaming whatsoever. Blessthefall doesn’t really scream anymore, even though their sound is as generic as you can get, but those songs were kind of unique at the time. Hearing metalcore bands have songs without screaming or breakdowns that weren’t instrumental were interesting, and there are a couple of songs like that here. The album’s also a brisk 40 minutes, so it never overstays its welcome, which I really like. Blessthefall was where it was at back in the mid-00s, especially with Witness. It’s interesting to see where they ended up, even though they didn’t really end up anywhere. That’s the thing about this band. They’ve remained stagnant after this LP. They’re one of those bands that people have forgotten about, because they haven’t done anything worthwhile. People like them, but I don’t see anyone talking about them anymore. Witness was a great album, though, and it’s worth listening to if you want to get into mid-00s metalcore. This was one of the best albums of 2009, at least in that scene, anyway. This was an album that I played a lot, and I still really enjoy it today. It’s a great album that takes me back, but at the same time, it also sounds really good. I wish everything else after this album was worth listening to, and talking about, but they struck lightning once with this record, because it’s easily the best thing they’ve ever put out.
Let's start at one
And count the days
Let's hope to God that time flies like they say
Cause this instance can't distance my heart from yours tonight
But I'm lying awake now and I'm holding your picture
It's so cold here without you
And I need you now, cause it's killing me
And I wish somehow, you were here with me
When I fall asleep I feel you with me
Till I fall asleep and you are with me
Could this be more
I've been up all night riding subway lines
Now we're sleeping on your floor
Can we make this a lifetime, you're all I want right now
Life keeps telling me I need to go
But what if I wanna stay
Cause I'm lost here without you
And I need you now, cause it's killin me.
And I wish somehow, you were here with me.
When I fall asleep, I feel you with me.
Till I fall asleep, and you are with me
I've found a love I've never had before, you changed me
And I will wait however long it takes, you changed me
You say the words that I've been thinking
I'll never let you go
And I need you now, cause it's killing me
And I wish somehow, you were here with me
When I fall asleep, I feel you with me
Till I fall asleep, and you are with me
You changed me.
You changed me.
