Review: NevBorn – Alkaios ⋅ Part I ⋅ The Eagle

Style: Progressive Metal, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, Mathcore (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Converge, Rolo Tomassi and early Thrice meets The Ocean and The Contortionist
Review by: Christopher
Country: Switzerland
Release date: 31 March 2023

If your route into prog was anything like mine, then it may have included at least a handful of post-hardcore bands, the little genre that in the early 2000s suddenly exploded into mainstream rock and metal. Of course, progressive post-hardcore bands exist too, but that style usually sees bands eschew the poppiness of the genre at large in favour of a greater focus on intricacy; it doesn’t tend towards prog’s prodigious song lengths and experiments to push through the confines of genre boundaries. 

Swiss group NevBorn are here to change that. Alkaios ⋅ Part I ⋅ The Eagle is the first record in a planned trilogy that chronicles the twelve labours of Heracles (side note: Heracles is the original Greek name, the more common ‘Hercules’ is a translation from Greek to Latin to English), and Herculean is certainly one word that springs to mind when you see the track lengths. Consisting of four tracks, the shortest song on The Eagle is ten minutes, and opening number “Nemea” is a gargantuan eighteen minutes.

Runtimes, however, mean little; what counts is the music itself. NevBorn’s sound recalls a lot of familiar post-hardcore and mathcore names: Rolo Tomassi, Converge, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, and even early Thrice, but other influences soon make themselves known: the languid build-ups driven by dependable bass riffs under dreamy chords are pure post-metal—indeed, on “Lerni” the post-metal introduction builds up to a heavy section befitting The Ocean—while one of the final riffs on “Keryneia” verges on djent, cycling in a juggernaut 5/4 rhythm. The interplay of post-hardcore’s imminent anger and post-metal’s indefatigable march are surprisingly effective counterpoints to one another while the more progressive metal elements that leak in are the cherry on top. 

And yet given all this length, the fundamentals of post-hardcore aren’t lost. The Eagle is replete with anthemic bridges, angst-ridden harsh vocals, and ostensibly simple riffs with complex nuance. NevBorn’s proggier excursions transform the style into something more grandiose. The problem is that post-hardcore is a genre predicated on brevity so applying the lengthening principles of post-metal to it doesn’t always work to the band’s advantage. NevBorn don’t always fall into this trap—most of the time you’re swept up in the atmosphere and the unstoppable flow—but some sections do outstay their welcome. 

Nevertheless, proggy post-hardcore post-metal is a great way of evoking myth. The epic runtimes and huge choruses certainly lend themselves to the godly tasks being recounted, infusing the somewhat stoic labours with a relatable angst, as in on “Keryneia” where Hercules’ release of the Ceryneian Hind, a gigantic, fire-snorting doe known for its golden antlers and preternatural speed, is less about strategy and more to do with an affinity between Hercules and the beast: “running until the end of time/I understand you/To be chained just to be so strong”. NevBorn make pains to emphasise the weight of the labours upon the labourer himself. 

NevBorn dare to push a distinctive genre to heretofore unheard of progressive extremes and for the most part the gamble pays off. Alkaios ⋅ Part I ⋅ The Eagle is an undeniably powerful work which mixes its unusual yet logical mix of genres compellingly in order to imbue some well-worn myths with a more emotive quality. The promise of two further parts to complete the tales of Hercules’ labours is an opportunity for NevBorn to build further on their clear aptitude for a niche sound that is entirely their own. 

Recommended tracks: Nemia, Keryneia
You may also like: NORD, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook

Label: Vitruve Records – Website | Facebook

NevBorn is:
– Matthieu Hinderer (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesisers and programmed drums)
– Brice Geiser (bass)
– Nicolas Huguenin (drums)
– Alan Gualandris (guitars)
– Mathieu Rubi (Guitars)
– Mélusine Chappuis (Piano on Keryneia)