Mind Noise Network
Prolong The Agony -
All We Are
by Daniel King - 27 March 2015
If you're a fan of either metalcore or hardcore then sit up and take notice. If you're not, these guys could be the ideal place to start your journey into either or both of those paths. Whilst they're not an out and out hardcore band, they have all of the elements needed to fit into that scene. Pounding breakdowns and snarling vocals combined with powerful lyrics. As I say though, they aren't really a hardcore band, these guys also bring elements of the still incredibly popular metalcore scene into the mix. Fans of The Amity Affliction may notice some similarities between these guys and some of the tracks on Let The Ocean Take Me.
On to the EP, All We Are is a 5 track EP that pulls no punches whatsoever. Within seconds the riffs kick in, a few seconds later the vocals hit and you know exactly what you're in for for the next 20 minutes. A quick foreward, if you're looking for a dynamic, free flowing album, you're in the wrong place - and I don't just mean with Prolong The Agony, hardcore as a whole isn't for you. Don't go though, you might still like this.
If hardcore is about getting your emotions out, EP opener Dead Dreams must be incredibly cathartic for both band and fan alike. A reminder that shit happens and there's often nothing you can do about. Not a positive message at all, but an important one if it helps people see that they aren't alone with it, after all, music is all about the community. Counting The Days continues in much the same fashion, but with bigger riffs and bigger breakdowns throughout. But it is Loved & Lost with the most to offer. The message is similar, but the delivery is much sweeter. The contrast between deep growling vocals and the high pitched guitars is sublime.
Backstabbers contains a lot of the raw emotion that makes hardcore so popular with the youth of today. The chorus is as powerful as anything anyone has put out in this genre and the message (probably quite obvious given the title) is evidently something that these guys feel strongly about. The EP is brought to a close by Loveless, a track that draws on everything that has been before it, in terms of this EP at least, and manages to feel bigger than all of it. A great ending it must be said.
Despite not being revolutionary, what Prolong The Agony have done here works and it works well. It's a taster of what is to come on their journey with In At The Deep End Records. It's a big EP and a marker of their intent for 2015 and beyond. I for one am interested to see what they will do on their debut full length album, one thing I know though, I wouldn't want to be the one stood in the way of them getting what they want.
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1/20
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