Words by James Garrahy
Every once in a while a band comes along that confuses you within a perceived genre of what they ‘should’ sound like. You’re going to have to hear me out on this one and trust my judgment. There is no other way.
Windwaker are no strangers to the pushing of boundaries within the heavy metal genre. They transcend every expectation put in front of them, mashing metalcore, electronica, hip-hop and even some old school thrash metal influences. The Aussie younglings have come out swinging with their latest offering ‘HYPERVIOLENCE’. This is no-holds-barred, nutsack-stapled-to-a-park-bench type music. Let’s…fucking….go!!!
Kicking things off with opener Infinity, we gradually fade into a muffled electronic feel before punching straight in the throat with some heavy riffage. This is what we came for, and it doesn’t disappoint. Jumping next into SIRENS, the poppy tune gets you moving and well, it casts a magic spell over you where you can’t help but tap your toes and try to mimic Liam’s insanely diverse vocal range.
The next track, Fractured State Of Mind has been out for a while, but its placement (and well, my own personal significance to the track) is so well thought out that it does not detract from the fact you’ve probably heard it a million times already. Now, you follow that with Break The Rules and its little 16-bit inspired intro and you have the perfect way to round out the first quarter of such an amazing album.
The Wall, Villain and Get Out make for a constantly charging wave of emotion, gritty riffage and neck-snappin’ beats. These tracks keep the centre of the album intensely brilliant. When you follow it with a track like Vertigo, its rounded out to the perfect main body of an album that i haven’t heard in a long damn time. So many bands fall into the trap of putting in filler songs here, but the Windwaker lads have perfectly structured this part of the album.
Strap in kids, things are about to get interesting. Hypnotised; what a great, groove-inducing track. Gets you moving, and hell, you’re gonna need to be in the right frame of mind to fully absorb the sheer brilliance of Venom. If you came here thinking you’re getting a metal album, well, I stated before that these lads defy their genre. This is an adventurous track, but you know what, this fucking works and I’m totally here for a new wave of heavy metal hip-hop. Liam’s flow is like that of a veteran of the hip-hop industry. Couple it with the heavy riffs of the chorus, and you have one killer track that I will be forever playing at full volume. (Watch out for that cheeky bridge)
Tabula Rasa is perfectly placed to get you back into the savagery of things, while still keeping with that hip-hop styled lyricism that Liam is fucking OWNING on this album. Think electronica v synth-wave metal v hip-hop v metal-core. There so much to digest here.
Juliet is a beautifully composed finale to this album. Heartfelt lyrics, stirring instrumentals and a slowed tempo make this track really show you that these guys can do anything. Not afraid to push the boundaries, they are musicians of the finest calibre.
My advice on this album is DO NOT sleep on this. Buy the vinyl, CD, pre-order a digital copy, however you get your music fix – make it happen. This is one of the best releases of the year and deserves to be heard by a wider audience than just their dedicated fanbase.
Windwaker ‘Love In The Dark’ Tour
w/ Caskets + Alt.
TICKETS HERE
July 20th: Lynotts Lounge, Perth
July 21st: Uni Bar, Adelaide
July 22nd: Max Watts, Melbourne
July 27th: The Brightside (Outdoors), Brisbane
July 28th: Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle
July 29th: Crowbar, Sydney
Thanks to Bigmouth PR
