Packing some serious early Killswitch Engage vibes (particularly within their rhythm section) and wrapped in a modern metalcore sheen, Swedish mob A Silent Escape are something of a mixed bag.
Vocalist Patrick Stenborg struggles to be able to decipher whether or not to truly go for it in the melody stakes. Harbouring a bollock-shrivelling growl, the attempts to incorporate a hook-laden approach while remaining brutal fall between the cracks and leave you with a certain ‘shit or get off the pot’ mindset.
There’s enough of a punch in the likes of Still Commanding, and with some of their homeland’s penchant for red-blooded metal creeping in all over the place, there are some nice trad metal runs in the band’s material that stops them from being mere cut’n’paste metalcore fodder.
However, there needs to be something to truly get your teeth into if they’re to ascend to the masses. ASE may be a long way from the finished article, but at least they’re forming some character and flair of their own.
