Hometruths – Open Your Eyes

By RingMaster Review on March 7, 2017 • ( 0 )

As the world persistently sails towards greater degeneration in respect and real equality for all, British metallers Hometruths send a ferocious shot across its bow with their debut EP. The Manchester band is a tempest of rage and defiance; one socially, politically, and sonically antagonistic to the inequalities, intolerances, and lack of compassion now seemingly the main fuel of the modern world. The Open Your Eyes EP is their reaction; one that is part reflection, part call to arms, and an advocate of hope all rolled up into an impressive scourge of raging sound and emotion.

Coming forward in the early throes of 2016, Hometruths merge groove honed metal hostility with raw passion driven hardcore. It is a fierce roar with a freshness defusing any recognisable traits, a sound matching virulent infectiousness to its senses trespassing incitement of sound and anger. They pull no punches lyrically and musically and indeed emotionally, every syllable and note incendiary. Familiar essences are part of the mix, hues which are suggested compare to the likes of While She Sleeps, Stray From The Path, and Madball, but also there are the early seeds and rich potential of uniqueness, all striking traits within Open Your Eyes.

The EP opens up with Embers, a minute of rising sonic discord and vocal ire creating a climate of raw discontent in a wake-up call triggering the just as unruly tempest of Feral. With sound and emotion living up to its title in moments, the track imposes on ears with agitated rhythms and caustic riffs, the similarly natured birth of grooves and fury laden vocals involved before it all twists into a seriously catchy incitement. As vocalist Gaz Davies spews frustration and contempt, grooves get instinctively funky, winding venomously around viciously swung beats from Alex Mac and a great grumbling bassline from Dan Hancox with his vocal potency backing up and aligning with the cantankerous prowess of Davies. It is irresistible stuff, the song just growing in strength and persuasion with every corrupted second.

Barely a breath is taken between the outstanding encounter and the equally impressive Divide, a twitch of ears and you miss the moment but not the fresh character of craft and intent quickly confronting ears. The track, even with its own unchained ferociousness and emotion, is more is a predator than its predecessor, sizing up and lunging at the jugular time and time again. Again steely grooves enslave and incite body and appetite, Antony Costello and Jack Day creating a senses eroding web of enterprise and infection while the diversity of spiteful vocals more than fully satisfy.

Successor Vigilante looms out of the dissipating mist of the song, its atmosphere claustrophobic but bearing rousing rhythmic bait from Mac swiftly courted by toxic grooves and intrusive voice. Riffs and rhythms snarl and bruise even as the track shares its own addictive swing in its imagination bred adventure and rancor. Again it is impossible to evade being hooked in by the tenacious landscape of the song though arguably it does not quite go far enough, at times seeming to hold back as things appear poised to detonate to greater creative heights and friction.

WMD stomps in next, its tension racked prowl like a fusion of Die Krupps and Prong, picking its spots before unveiling a slightly friendlier canvas of piercing hooks, magnetic vocals, and mercurial energy; and when we say slightly we mean just that. The track still gnaws and pulls at the senses, beats scything across their surface as guitars and bass twist and turn with a vengeance.

Just stealing best track honours it moves over for the closing despite of Genocide. Its heart is more a hardcore bred animus but just as rich in the metallic and grooves woven assets of those before it and though it lacks their final lethal punch makes a stirring end to an excellent and impressing debut.

Open Your Eyes is a formidable and exciting introduction to a band beginning to really kick up a buzz around themselves, a fuss which can only get bigger as Hometruths bring just that in surely even bolder propositions ahead.

Open Your Eyes is out now through CI Records.