Review Summary: A promising EP that delivers both technicality and melody, without becoming boring in an ever-so-stale genre.
Ah, "djent". What a fickle word thou are. Love it or hate it, the term has taken over the metal scene these days. I bet Fredrik Thordendal is kicking himself right now over how popular the term has become.
Apostate is a fairly-unheard of band hailing from the Czech Republic. And to be honest up until a day or two ago I had not a clue who they were. Stumbling across the mention on a Circle of Contempt review, I happened to find their Band Camp. And boy was I surprised.
Don't come into this thinking they are another rip-off metalcore or wanna-be progressive band. Apostate know their limits and have a blast proving that they can exercise them to the fullest extent. While this EP is short, clocking in a 22 minutes, it's a wild ride from start to finish.
And so begins "The Road", a three minute track that builds your suspense into the EP. Tomas's vocals command your attention, while Nik provides some well-needed drum fills throughout the course of the song. What is unique about Apostate is the fact they have a very hardcore feel while maintaining that metallic sound that's so cherished by most bands nowadays.
Into "The People". An epic six minute track that features breakdowns, trance-like sections, and ridiculous tapping sections and tremolos. As well as "The Road", this song builds up to break you down at the end. Definitely the highlight track of the EP.
"The Speech" is just what you think it is. A clip from someone (I couldn't tell you where), layered over clean guitars. The lyrics generally are about freedom, humanity united, and politics. In my eyes, it's basically a statement saying stand tall and **** the government. I quote, "You the people, you the people have the power".
Part of what makes this band so good is also one of their biggest downfalls - their use of tapping throughout the EP. While they make it sound cohesive and fluent in sound, it gets a bit redundant. "The Rupture" makes good use of this, even featuring a nice solo. But only so much can be taken from this EP in terms of creativity.
If you're looking for a fresh metalcore album that has replay value and doesn't feel like it was created just to hold fans over - this is the EP you're looking for. Apostate have found their niche, and hopefully they will hold onto it and produce even more solid albums in the future.
