While She Sleeps – ‘Brainwashed’ In Review
A lot of the people I surround myself with abhor modern, popular Metal. It’s a constant uphill struggle trying to explain the relevance of bands like Architects, Parkway Drive and Bring Me The Horizon. For some of my mates, this hatred is founded in the pretence that follows the scenes these artists come from.
To an extent I agree with them. A certain level of success is achieved and then out comes the expensive clothing line in keeping with the band’s style. Don’t get me wrong, I am a whore to these vices as much as the next guy, but I have also started to grow weary of it. Enter While She Sleeps, a band founded in pride, not commerce.
I first heard While She Sleeps back in 2012 with their debut LP, This is the Six. The records combination of northern pride, Punk ethic and destructive Metal pummelled me. A pummelling is just what you get from While She Sleeps. I was reading a review of the latest LP in Kerrang in the magazine aisle in Sainsbury’s yesterday (because it is a library), where they claimed what sets WSS apart from the crowd and being condemned as ‘another Metalcore band‘ is this ‘pummelling‘ aspect. I couldn’t agree more.
Even more so than the previous record, Brainwashed is a completely immersive assault on the senses, overhung by the immense level of self respect and dedication that WSS bring to their work. Now let’s get nitty gritty with some of the highlights from Brainwashed. You know you want to.
‘WE ARE THE UNDERGROUND. THEY KNOW NOTHING OF OUR SOUND’
The above lyric is the initiating mantra to Brainwashed’s opening track, ‘New World Torture’. It’s pretty blatant why they chose this as their scene setter. While She Sleeps are a band content in doing things their way in the face of compromise. You can see so in this opening address of a track. The brutality is dished out immediately, heightened by the band’s running motif of emotive gang chanting. It’s a hefty introduction that merely scratches the surface of the quality to come.
‘Four Walls’. The lead single and finest track on Brainwashed without a doubt. When I said before that this is a band founded in pride, you can see it no clearer than in this track. In previous WSS work, the catch has often been heavily reliant on the ferocity of the music rather than the clear thought that had been put into their songs heart and lyrics. With ‘Four Walls’ they toss the coin perfectly.
It’s a perfect mix of eloquent hooks, rousing vocals and intelligent brutality. Now I don’t claim to know what the metaphorical prison that Loz Taylor bellows about in the track is symbolizing, but the feeling you get is sincere regardless. ‘Four Walls’ is a piece that will push While She Sleeps further into the Metal mainstream, whether they want it or not.
In the same vain as ‘Four walls’, ‘Our legacy’ shows again WSS fantastic ability to write emotive music. Here, alongside the chest beating choruses, the immense skill and dexterity of the guitar players is on display. Yes, there are guitar solos, but at no point do they feel self-indulgent or contrived. They simply add worthwhile and enjoyable complexity to the music.
Despite the fact this LP is drenched with soul-wrenchingly emotive tracks like ‘Four Walls’ and ‘Our legacy’, there are also merciless hulks of meticulous tech Metal for you lads and lasses to get your teeth into. Take for example the album title track, ‘Brainwashed’. I can hands down say that the closing 30 seconds are some of the most blistering aggressive outros I have ever heard, and I’m a Slayer fan. This record is guaranteed to get the pit spinning out of control.
Ultimately. what I want to say is that this record has something for all Metal fans from a variety of angles. Whether your looking for a cathartic heart pumping release of feeling, or merely something to bang your head to, Brainwashed has something for everyone.
Invest your time and wonga in it. Bands of this quality need your support for the future of Metal. And with While She Sleeps leading the charge, the future is looking bright.
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