Review: Yashira – Fail to Be

Style: Sludge/Post-Metal (harsh vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: United States (Florida)
Release date: December 11, 2020

Out of the gate, Yashira struck me as a tribute to Converge. An immediate display of aggression in “The Constant” grabs you by the scruff of the neck and shouts at you while pummeling you with snares and floor toms until finally the lumbering giant riffs stomp in a minute later. Many of the riffs in the higher register are erratic and dissonant with plenty of string bending. Although the vocals come through with more clarity, and the bass isn’t quite as up front, similarities to Converge remain. The vocal delivery in “The Weight”, accompanied by the mammoth riffs and tasty bass slides, is very reminiscent of Isis or Neurosis. It suddenly clicked for me at this point that this band is not the hardcore band I thought it was trying to be, but a post-metal band that dialed up the energy, volume and tempo. Perhaps it took so long to realize this as the vocals are delivered by three of the four members throughout.

The front half of the record is fairly unrelenting. Right through to “Shades Erased”, the fifth track and a personal favourite from the album, the aggression is constant and heavy riffs often just get heavier. If it weren’t for the latter half being somewhat less overtly aggressive and even ambient at times as in “Narrowed in Mirrored Light”, my biggest critique would be that Yashira didn’t dial it back when they should have. Splitting an LP almost directly in half like this is a bold stylistic choice that works in context, but runs the risk of a listener getting burnt out before reaching the divergence. Things pick back up again in the penultimate “Inertia Mines” where the drums in particular erupt between verses. “Kudzu” is a rewarding finisher for the listener having made it through the maelstrom and shows off a bit of everything that the band have to offer, namely their knack for dropping an already substantial riff into unexpectedly heavy territory.

Yashira exist in a space between hardcore and post-metal. With their own sludge-tinged flavour to energetic Converge-like riffs, they tame the tempo at times but don’t at all dilute the palette of creative ideas they draw from. I think this is a welcome space to fill, and those that seek colossally heavy riffs that don’t go stale by the end of the song will enjoy this.

Recommended tracks: The Weight, Shades Erased, Inertia Mines
Recommended for fans of: Neurosis, Converge, Sumac
Final verdict: 6.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Label: Good Fight Music – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Yashira is:
Lucas Barber (Bass, Vocals)
Dylan Mikos (Guitars, Vocals)
Connor Anderson (Guitars, Vocals)
Ryan O’Neal (Drums)