Review Summary: Well written, but unsurprising metalcore.
It’s become a pretty stale point that a lot of new metalcore bands fail (or even succeed in certain cases) due to a stubborn refusal to push boundaries, but unfortunately it’s a necessary detail when speaking about Conquer Divide’s debut self titled record. The all-female outfit essentially doesn’t take a single risk with their music, no surprises to be found, outside of the little tidbit about it being all-female.
Conquer Divide is a concise little record full of melodic metalcore riffs, not overused breakdowns, and the expected scream-sing vocal dynamic. You won’t be astounded by any of the content, but you may be a bit surprised by how well it works, despite the progression it lacks.
What Conquer Divide does well is melody and catchy hooks. Lead vocalist Kiarely (the band’s Facebook page does not in fact provide last names, surprisingly) has a voice that truly soars, at times remarkably reminiscent of Hayley Willaims (Paramore fame) and the choruses are infectious as a result. The hooks in tracks like “Nightmares” stick quickly and the album manages to be fairly memorable. While none of the instruments are particularly technical, the record isn’t wholly devoted to chugging breakdowns passing for riffs and simple chord changes. These ladies can actually riff better than a few of their male counterparts, with a lot of passably technical riffs and fluid leads bouncing around. When the band turns the aggression up, things start to fall short however. A generally thin and bass-less production on the guitars undermines the breakdowns and heavier riffs enough that a lot of punch is missing. It doesn’t really help that the harsh vocals are too hollow to accent the music properly. It does seem like Conquer Divide suspected this might happen though as they really play up the cleans and melodic sections so that their missteps are overshadowed.
Conquer Divide might be another exercise in stagnation, but it’s a pretty good one regardless. Between solid songwriting and playing to their strengths, the band manages to pull out an engaging debut where a lot of their contemporaries haven’t. Conquer Divide is probably pulling a few punches with their music, but the ones they are dishing out affect far more than you’d expect.
