Style: Melodic Death (Mixed vocals but mostly harsh)
Review by: Chris
Country: US-ID
Release date: 01-08-2020
I always like getting albums that are mostly a single man show, as I find it to be an interesting look into a single person’s voice instead of a combined artwork. Luck Wont Save You is mostly the work of one Russell Eck with the additional talents of original member Jared Klein (Rivers of Nihil). As such its has a pretty good singular voice and tone which helps the consistency and composition of this EP. It’s a pretty fun mix of some August Burns Red classic metalcore esque riffs with the more melodic death elements of a Born of Osiris. There are also a good amount of semi-symphonic touches with a lot of really nice keys and synth sections. Pretty much anytime the piano was really peeking its head into the mix it was the thing I was most drawn to. I’m always a sucker for those sporadic drum kick blast sections with moving piano chords over them, which this EP has a few of to tickle my fancy.
The drumming is super tight and well played (as would be expected) though I felt the drum mixing fell a little flat for me, probably because of the sterile clicky nature of the mix sucking the life out the instrument a bit. Other than that I felt the production was on par with anything else, though I think the heaviest breakdowns that kind of pulled me into the Chelsea Grin direction didn’t have quite the weight I was hoping.
It should be noted this EP has a LOT of guest sections or solos with one on each song save the small interlude track. I found the specific solos in the track “Exorcise the Exercise” to be really nice overall with how spread out they were and not necessarily feeling like a complete giant feature in the middle of track. The female guest vocals on the last track were also a nice touch to give a slightly different texture on a section I don’t think any other vocals would have worked well.
If you like pretty brutal metalcore/deathcore hybrid breakdowns and the kind of running melodic techy riffs you can get in some of the more modern deathcore bands, this is definitely a pretty good listen to pick up. Is it wildly beyond other things in a similar sphere? Not especially, but it’s solid and interesting enough to be given a good many listens. And if you like that semi-anthemic feel some melodic metal and Metalcore bands hit, there are plenty of moments like that in here for you.
Recommended tracks: Constellation of Demarcation, I, Abomination, Hunting Season
Recommended for fans of: August Burns Red, (later) Chelsea Grin, Born of Osiris, Within the Ruins
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Luck Wont Save You is:
Russell Eck (everything but drums)
Jared Klein (drums, clean vocals)
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