Record brings mind-boggling metal

The metalcore band Every Time I Die is known for dazzling the audience’s minds with their wild and energetic live shows. On October 22nd, the band released Radical, and the music is outstanding. The vocals from Keith Buckley give each track a solid punch of dominance, the guitar playing by Jordan Buckley, Andy Williams and Stephen Micciche fills the atmosphere with vein-shaking riffs. The drum playing by Clayton Holyoak contributes to the endless insanity with heavy drum beats. Every Time I Die do know how to create havoc with their musical talents.

The oh-so-relatable track “Planet Shit” is a piece filled with powerful lyrics. The words “Whose fucking side are you on?/ Whose fucking side are you on?/  When all the lines that were drawn/ Are washed away in the blood” show the band questioning the audience on their stance with what is going on in our society and judging by the short passage. The words display how upset the band is with the violence that endlessly surrounds our lives. “Planet Shit” is a well-written composition that explains how violence has upset the lives of the band.

“Post-Boredom” is a soul-shaking, catchy tune due to Micciche playing his heart on the bass guitar. Right at the beginning, the noise of heavy notes emerges from the background and welcomes people to the band’s chaotic world. The absolute best part is how the vibrations from Micciche’s bass guitar playing can be felt shaking through the speakers. “Post-Boredom” is a killer tune that has Micciche showing off his skills as a musician.

Classic “Thing With Feathers” shows a harmonic side of the band by how slow the musical tempo is. Right off the bat, the sound of sizzling but lightly played guitar riffs can be heard humming in the background while the bass guitar softly rules the air with soft notes. It is nice to hear a band that is not afraid to change up their musical style, and “Thing With Feathers” is a great example of how Every Time I Die are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones to make a beautiful and harmonic composition.

A total headbanger off the record is “AWOL.” This is a righteous song that has good drum playing by Holyoak. Throughout the entire performance, Holyoak’s drum beats are being played on a basic tempo that consists of hard drum beats, and the way Holyoak smacks the drum heads and cymbals bring metalcore energy fans to want to hear. “AWOL” is a great track that has Holyoak drumming loud and proud.

The ear-bleeding “The Whip” is a classic example of how important vocals are when performing metalcore. Buckley’s vocals are superior on this tune by how he passionately shrieks out the lyrics. While listening, the strong emotions of anger can be felt through Buckley’s authoritative voice. In some ways, his vocal style is the center of attention because of the way he screams out the words, and the shouting gives an insight into how Buckley uses his vocals to create havoc on “The Whip.”

Blazing “sexsexsex” has addictive guitar playing from Buckley and Williams. Throughout the whole thing, static notes can be felt while both guitarists perform, and the sound is capable of jolting the minds of those who are listening. Also, the mixture of the harmonic and metal riffs shows how both Buckley and Williams are capable of creating sizzling guitar chords on “sexsexsex.”

Dooming “We Go Together” ends the record with a bang of electrifying instrumentation. The way the guitar and drum playing clash with each other creates an energetic vibe that will leave listeners wanting to hear more. Also, the vocals are amazing by how strong emotions can be felt through the shrieking. As a whole, the band did a great job with “We Go Together” because of the powerful instrumentation and vocals.

Radical is an absolute hit, and Every Time I Die clearly have their feet on the gas pedal.