REVIEW: Underthrow – In Memory of Fading Hearts [2022]
Artist: Underthrow
Album: In Memory of Fading Hearts
Underthrow are a band that came out of almost literally nowhere. For the better part of a year, the project seemed to exist only as a nebulous inside joke between members of the east coast heavy music scene—a punchline without any build up. Being totally honest, I really wasn’t even sure Underthrow was a real band until their first single was formally released—and while under might be the first part of their name, they’re far from underwhelming. The band draw from a variety of influences to create something chimeric and crushing, diverse in every way one could imagine. Combining elements of hardcore, metalcore, melodic hardcore and even sprinkles of deathcore (thanks to the band’s bombastic drumming—more on that to come), Underthrow’s In Memory of Fading Hearts is a surreal fever dream of a record that stampedes the listener with nearly an hour of gut-punching intensity and unstoppable energy. Through a careful blend of precise technicality and primal, gritty determination, the band deliver a sleeper hit of the year one riff, two-step and breakdown at a time.
Instrumentally, Underthrow sounds a little like…It Prevails covering Defeater but with blast beats? No—really, there isn’t a way to define Underthrow by comparing them to other acts, but rather instead just by describing the ways in which they excel at all facets of their instrumental onslaught. Everything from the unpredictable drumming to the scintillating riffs and bodacious bass grooves launch an attack on the listener. From the very beginning of “Look Back,” ferocious percussion underscores the listener’s intensifying heartbeat, while jarring, dissonant lead guitar segues back and forth into punchy, pummeling breakdowns. Other songs, like the dynamic “Dead Flowers” or pulsating “Rest, Fade” see Underthrow capitalizing on their ability to blend melodic hardcore into their soundscape. Here, fretwork runs a gamut, including blistering breakdowns into a backbone of ethereality, made more dense and earthy by a gritty, bouncy bass. Other songs, “Fray” or “Losing” for example, see Underthrow in a less refined and more aggressive state, practically steamrolling the listener as opposed to oscillating hither and to with a whimsy. These songs particularly highlight the band’s percussive element (which comes from no other than resident deathcore old head Michael Yager of Lorna Shore/Depreciator/Arsonist—so it makes sense). Here, Yager’s drumming is a testament to speed, precision and technicality, but in a tasteful way, utilizing it sparingly as opposed to smothering the listener with unwanted percussive showboating. Ultimately, Underthrow demonstrate they are more than adept at covering an incredible variety of heavy music’s myriad styles all with a cohesive sound and style. In Memory of Fading Hearts is a sprawling compendium of -core in a great many of its forms, and all of them are done exceptionally well.
Where Underthrow’s instrumental approach is multifaceted, unpredictable and all-encompassing, the band anchors its eclectic approach with a ferocious, consistent and straightforward vocal approach. Roaring across just about every song on In Memory of Fading Hearts, Underthrow’s vocalist shines with a raw, gruff mid-range bark that cuts through the brightest and most dissonant moments of the record without discrimination or difficulty. The anthemic introductory track sees catchy vocal patterns shine atop a foundation of bouncy, catchy percussion—while some of the record’s later numbers see grittier vocals bearing down on the listener while wave after wave of explosive breakdowns crashes upon them. In this way, the band’s vocalist is the record’s sole constant, unwavering in moments of ethereality and eviscerating aggression both.
In Memory of Fading Hearts is a monumental release that I don’t think many people saw coming—I certainly didn’t. Underthrow are immense in their ambition and drive, and it shines through every aspect of their debut offering. Where some songs may blend together despite the variety the group offer, the overwhelming majority of In Memory of Fading Hearts is a shot of adrenaline right to the jugular; instantly igniting vitriol in whomever happens to hear it.
9/10
By: Connor welsh
For Fans Of: Born a New, Degrader, Have Heart, Defeater, Incendiary, It Prevails
