FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with Speaker (Toronto, Ontario)

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 10//11/2017

Label: Independent

Toronto’s best kept secret come into their own on this release, showcasing the 'core noise they have mastered, as well as incorporating new sounds into their wheel-house.

“Murder and Create” DD track listing:

1). Plaster

2). Bleach

3). Catch 22

4). Conscious Sleep

5). Cocoon

6). Eve

The Review:

Toronto’s best kept secret in metal and hardcore start to come into their own with the release of their new EP “Murder and Create”. The EP showcases the refined metalcore that Speaker has mastered, as well as new sounds that they are incorporating into their wheel-house.

The first half of the EP showcases a master class in metallic hardcore. Songs like “Plaster”,” Bleach”, and “Catch 22” flex a unique versatility in frenetic energy and dissonant guitars. The stop and turn nature of these tracks maximizes the weight of the riffs, and keeps the listener on their feet. The second half of the EP is where we hear the band reach into new territory. “Conscious Sleep” and “Eve” see the band going for more of a Gaza/Cult Leader approach; trading in their hardcore roots for a more atmospheric and doom-laden approach to heavy music.

While not everything lands perfectly on this record, it is great to see Speaker flex their creative muscles, and venture out into new territory. It will be great to see what happens next for the band.

“Murder and Create” is available here

Band info: Facebook || bandcamp