REVIEW: Her Demise My Rise – Curses [EP/2015]
Artist: Her Demise My Rise
Album: Curses – EP
You can’t remember the last time you were happy. You don’t remember why or how, but one day, the ability to see things in a positive light was just taken from you—blinders of brooding bitterness and misanthropy placed around your head, obfuscating any hint of happiness and erasing the capability for creative, productive thinking. You’ve been cursed—and Her Demise, My Rise are to blame. Their comeback EP, Curses, is a blistering, concise display of crushing aggression that sucks the joy from even the jolliest of people–mean and misanthropic enough to make Santa commit murder. Curses is an excellent example of abrasive, groovy deathcore-turned-nu that combined blistering brutality and engaging emotion with no frills or filler to be found.
Fans of Her Demise My Rise’s previous work might remember the softer, sing-songy choruses or smoothed-over electronic segments. Well, you can kiss THAT version of Her Demise My Rise goodbye. The band is back with sharper teeth and a more vicious bloodlust that will have the listener torn to pieces before “Curses” is through. Curses sees the trio embracing a complex amalgam of aggression and emotion that hits the listener like a shotgun but lingers like a searing, stinging burn. Built on a foundation of fierce, quick percussion, bassist Aaron Scott provides a punishing, filthy low end that floods listener’s ears as if it was raw sewage. Scott slinks and slams away, adding depth and punch to each beefy bass drum hit and whiplash inducing snare crack. Meanwhile, guitarist Jake Anderson annihilates the listener with bouncy, my-metal grooves and riffs that dive into hyperdissonant breakdowns brutal enough to break The Hulk in half. “The Soul Society” is a devastating example, beginning with a riff-driven onslaught that rapidly collapses into an atmospheric, dissonant climax that is heavier than lead, just not in the way the listener is used to. Meanwhile, “Curses” or “King Cold” are more conventional examples of Curses’ crushing, straightforward heaviness where Anderson and Scott don’t slow their groove-laden assault unless it’s to drop into spine-smashing, stutter-start breakdowns.
Fans of The Takeover will also remember the repeat offender T-Mills, adding unusual auto tuned and anti-aggressive singing to the mix. Just like you bade farewell to the synth, you can wave goodbye to him as well. Frontman Andre Giovanni reigns over Curses‘ crushing instrumentation like an unforgiving tzar of all things heavy. Looking for bitter, brash lows? Look no further than the EP’s title track. How about shrieking highs? “King Cold” has you covered. “The Otaku Complex” favors Giovanni’s grisly mid and raw emotional prowess as he barks lyrics describing his own insecurity and instability at the listener, sympathizing with their more emotional facets. Fear not if you worry Giovanni is lacking in ability to bring about violence—as the takeaway message here is that, as the new voice of Her Demise My Rise, Giovanni does no wrong, showcasing his variety, endurance and power all with equal ease and energy.
Even while a bulk of Curses was written several years ago and has seen countless rounds of revisions, it still feels new and fresh. More than anything, Curses is NOT the party-deathcore band from yester-decade attempting to rehash a played out sound. It is Her Demise My Rise embracing a new and more refined, relevant style of relentless heaviness that will bury the listener with both bone-buckling aggression and comprising, heart-rending emotional relatability. “The Soul Society” breaks the listener’s heart and soul to smithereens before “The Otaku Complex” annihilates their body with nu-metal turned deathcore savagery that will shatter the listener’s skull without a second thought. Every track on Curses brings something new and immersive to the table that will appeal to long time fans of Her Demise My Rise, while proving to skeptics and new fans alike that they have something 99% of the band’s populating heavy music’s many styles simply don’t.
Brash, bold, brutal and beautiful—Her Demise My Rise are back and better than ever. If their latest EP is what it’s like to be vexed, then the more Curses, the merrier.
9.5/10
For Fans Of: Prime Meridian, Hail to the King
By: Connor Welsh
