ALBUM REVIEW: EMBR, "1823"

By: Peter Morsellino 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/07/2020

Label: New Heavy Sounds

“1823” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Prurient
2). Where I've Been
3). Stranger 

4). Powder

5). Eyes Like Knives
6). Your Burden
7). Vines

The Review:

EMBR take an interesting approach on their debut release, crafting a very digestible sound from a batch of the same spoiled ingredients doled out to a sludge band at conception. All of the abrasive elements we adore are present here, from the down tuned chugging riffs to the gritty film muddying the overall aesthetic, and yet from this mess comes something much more polished and refined than can be expected. Hands down, this is one of the most accessible things I have heard on this end of the doom spectrum this year.

As chock full of pop hits as it is with grinding metallic mayhem, “1823” straddles a high wire that Oh so many have fallen from in the past.  Is it hard enough?  Is it too hard?  Yes to both, really.  It is an album that knows exactly what it wants to do and does so expertly. Soaring operatic vocals lines mix with demonic screeches on the background, while sludgey riffs better the listener with hummable hooks.  Truly an album existing in two places at once, EMBR's debut is one that shows the promise of a band that can just about do it all.

The atmospheric tones of the clean vocals blend well with the grit of the music creating something very reminiscent of the post grunge alternative rock sound of the 90's. While I would be hard pressed to directly compare EMBR with the Breeders, there is a taste of the pop sound meets sullen aggression that is present in their work and that of which they inspired. A sound that lends itself perfectly to bobbed and banged heads alike.

I can see this as an album that is easily brushed aside by elite tier members of the metal fandom for superficial reasons across the board. But at a time when listeners are so flooded with work across the musical spectrum, it is undeniably positive for a metal release to be as head turningly catchy as this one. We simply cannot exist as a genre with the staunch gatekeeping of all things deemed not metal enough due to production value and accessibility anymore. I say it's time for metal to get noticed again, and I think this release may be a prime candidate.

“1823” is available HERE

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp