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Forbidden Season’s 2017 EP, Paramnesia, hinted at a band with hunger and a decent grasp of melody. So it’s frustrating that the Italian metalcore quintet have eschewed the opportunity to blaze a trail on their debut. Instead, Promise clings stubbornly to the genre’s deep-rooted template – if only the forgettable choruses of Thank You For The Venom and Wormhole cleaved to the inside of your cranium with the same white-knuckle ferocity. Smatterings of electronica do add an atmospheric dynamic, but on the whole this is a samey record, laden with tinny production, repetitive Asking Alexandria-style riffs and thin melodies with no real spark of invention to lift it above the prosaic. It takes a lot to stand out from an increasingly homogeneous pack in this game, and Promise isn’t going to launch Forbidden Seasons into metalcore’s next stratum just yet.

Danniii Leivers writes for Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, The Guardian, NME, Alternative Press, Rock Sound, The Line Of Best Fit and more. She loves the 90s, and is happy where the sea is bluest.