Written: 4th December 2024
Hailing from Kendal and the Greater Manchester area, quartet Dwelled are a band that do not do things by halves. Receiving this EP to review is my first encounter with them and based on the evidence here, it certainly will not be the last. Suffering Heritage is a seventeen minute, six song blast of blistering metalcore that also stretches its grasp towards deathcore, hardcore and even moments of melodic death metal.
Opening track - the two-minute Spineless - bursts with furious anger and Dwelled display their inherent intensity from the outset. Despite its short running time, the band manage to incorporate elements of metalcore that meld with slower, sludge like melodic death metal. Riffs from Louis Jefferies and Sam Hunter pummel and demand attention while moments of screeching glissando lead guitar add jagged colour to the overall sound. Matt Wall’s vocals create an intimidating energy that never wavers as he delivers his message of anger and vengeance. The imagery of suffocation and the desire for retribution show a fixation on the harm caused by others, as well as a deep seated need for those who have inflicted pain to face consequences. Speaking in tongues / You don’t understand / Is this who I am? / Trapped in an endless cycle of misery / I hope this makes you choke.
Ripped Apart extends to three and half minutes, the longest any track on the EP reaches. Crushing, barbarous riffs and lyrics explore the potentially overwhelming nature of the dark side of the human experience. The world collapses / Shadows grow / This pain and fury / Start to overflow / In the abyss / My spirit screams. This is no easy listening variation of metalcore with bludgeoning hammer blows the order of the day. There is the odd moment of light between transitions but it is fleeting and ripped away from the listener almost before it can be recognised. Thunderous drums from Matt Thompstone are at the forefront of third track Echoes and their fight with the guitars (and an utterly brutal and death metal inspired Matt Wall) for dominance, simply adds to the vehement belligerence of the band’s approach. The pulsating dissonance that threatens to engulf the finale of the track dissipates into one of the only quieter, ambient sections on the album and frankly it comes as somewhat of a relief.
Any sense that Dwelled will then let up with the ruthlessness are summarily dismissed as Otherside begins. Matt Wall snarls, barks and expels lyrics with the chaotic wrath of a rabid beast. I’m suffocating underneath the weight / And when I’m dead / I won’t be buried by your fucking life force / I will claw my way out / And consume everything. As he takes on the persona of a powerful, defiant force, the band attack with jackhammer riffs while the bass throbs in primal, visceral waves. Suffer expands Dwelled’s sound a little further. The vocals remain firmly in hardcore and death metal territories but some of the accompanying riffs aim to add moments of variety.
With final track, Rivers of Regret, Dwelled amalgamate everything they have to offer including changing tempo, playing with dynamics and even introducing, albeit briefly, something in the way of melody. However, that is not to say that any of their truculent, raptorial vitriol is lost. Thompstone’s drums still threaten to destroy anything in their path and Matt Wall is acerbic to the last.
On Suffering Heritage, Dwelled burn with aggression, intent and a feral incessance. The lyrics delve deep into anguish, self-hatred and pugnacious introspection. Knowing exactly the sort of music they want to make, they grab the listener round the throat and do not relent across the length of the EP. Fans of hardcore with a dash of death metal, heavier metalcore (do not expect any melodic choruses or relaxed detours here) and music that delivers consistent vehement rage will undoubtedly warm to Dwelled’s new release.
Suffering Heritage is released on 6th December 2024.
Dwelled online
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