The Uprising of Hatred

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this on CD back in May or so, and I played the shit out of it. I was quite skeptical at first, considering I didn't know who these guys were when I first listened, but when I became friends with Jack and such, I realised just how much talent and effort is being poured into this band. Like I said, I was unsure of whether I liked this EP or not at first; all of the songs are very short, the production is quite generic, the writing is abrupt and sometimes even feels rushed, but then I thought about it: the oldest member of this band is 17. For a band this young, they really are doing well, and this material is far better than anything that anyone else their age has produced, at least in recent times, even though Steel Mage has just properly started playing and writing over the last year, and they're still finding their own sound and trying to plant their feet in the modern metal scene, this EP is impressive, to say the least. I enjoy all of the songs, albeit some more than others, and overall it's a competent release, with enough variety and musical capability to keep you enthralled.

The song Blading Edge in particular is the highlight, as it's my personal favourite song and by far the most progressive and exciting of the 4 tracks. It's only 4 minutes long, but has so many sections packed into it, and it all fits together quite adequately, the first 90 seconds builds tension, then the first verse is quite tame compared to the explosiveness of the rest of the EP, but it slowly becomes more and more frantic, leading into the second most instrumental section, during which Tom plays one of the best basslines I've heard this year (by this year I mean 2020), and the second verse kicks in, and it's slightly more aggressive than the first verse, but still has the same ominous disposition of the first verse. This almost unpredictable nature of the song is a nice touch, and it's rectified when the song reaches its climax, Tommy's solo is short, but it has emotion and tension. If there's one track from this EP that I'd recommend listening to, it would be Blading Edge, as it's a good example of varied but consistent thrash metal.

The title track is an instrumental, but it never gets boring, and retains focus throughout its runtime. The entire song is based around one riff, which is melodic and a nice precursor to the rest of the album, which is mostly hectic and wild, Warrior is a perfect example of this, because it's a series of heavy riffing and galloping, and it's a great song, but it's just too short, which is my biggest issue with the EP. All of these songs could've easily been doubled in length, maybe apart from Blading Edge. Nevertheless, the songs pack enough of a punch and don't drag too often, making it a satisfying listen.

Beatdown is the single from this release, and it got quite a lot of attention, especially in the Manchester metal scene. It's a great song, and the breakdown is technical and immense. The intro, interestingly enough, was recorded through Louis' guitar pickup, Jack described the making of the intro in a live stream "we saw these posts on Instagram, like satanic rituals, that we though were pretty cool, so for the intro of Beatdown, we recorded this thing through Louis' guitar pickup, to make it sound all crackly and demonic, and Louis said this speech while Me and Tommy were growling and cackling in the background," it is a pretty good intro, and it serves as a preview to the rest of the song, which is rapid and vigorous.

Like I mentioned, despite the production being quite generic and one-dimensional, it's still fine, the bass is mixed to just the right level where it doesn't bury the other sonorities, and Tom's original style of playing (at least original by the standards of what I mainly listen to) gives him the role as the backbone of the band. Jack's drumming is always intricate precise, the fills are detailed and he never overdoes anything. Louis is a tight rhythm player and seeing him play live, he obviously has a lot of confidence and is a good frontman, his vocals are almost guttural, but you can still understand what he's saying. The singing isn't great by any means, but it's not bad at all, the vocals are actually quite consistent and add a lot to the atmosphere. Tommy's lead playing in the whole album is incredible, he shows of his ability and every note accurately accompanies the rhythm sections, you can tell that he's been playing for a while.

Overall, the playing throughout the EP is tight, technical, loud and vicious when it has to be, but also melodic and contained when it has to be, therefore it has something for everyone who enjoys metal music, and I'd recommend it if you want to listen to some kickass modern thrash/groove metal.

Personally, I have followed this band since before the EP was dropped and straight away they grabbed my attention, releasing the single ‘Beatdown’ which hyped not just me, but many others up for what was coming next. The advertisement across their social media platforms was also very effective, in a way which not only kept their fans updated with the progress of the upcoming EP but also a countdown on when it will be released. This shows dedication to keeping their social medias updated and keeping their followers informed.

Overall, the EP has a very stereotypical metal sound, with obvious influences from bands like Annihilator, Havok and Trivium. Despite this, it’s also evident that they have their own twist on things, which makes them stand out from other upcoming bands. To say each member of the band enjoys different subgenres of metal, I think it’s very impressive how they compromise and work together to produce something which they’re all happy with the overall sound of.

The first track, named after the EP ‘The Uprising Of Hatred’ is purely instrumental and creates suspense when listening; it starts with a slow, ambient and eerie sound which eases the listener in. The way the EP is structured for me, is part of the experience, with every track flowing into the other it makes it easy to listen to. The general concept is based around violent emotions, wars and hatred. However, it can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on what the listener gains from it. For example, “There he rests, on the edge of your domain” (perhaps a lurking feeling which you can't escape) and “No shame held from the murders of those he’s slain” can easily be linked to mental health issues; things people face all the time but aren't represented much in the media, which is why I personally have the utmost respect for the band for touching on these issues.

“Conforming in your prime, it’s your little paradigm, your life is passing you on a timer, you wanna be sublime?” to quote the vocalist Louis Chadwick is, "my dig at people that just blindly follow trends. They’re conforming to what is normal while they're young and it should be the best times of their life. They’re striving to reach this social paradigm and being sublime by other peoples standards.” However the lyrical theme is consistent throughout and doesn't steer away from its core meaning, which for me is an important factor.

To conclude this review I would like to highlight what it specifically does for ME. The energy which is passed through is amazing, something which whatever my mood is can get me pumped. I often find myself listening to this EP because as stated before, it differs from other bands and their own elements are really intriguing. I can't recommend this EP enough to fellow metalheads, and even people of other musical interests, there's definitely something for everyone.