Almost 2 decades ago, metalcore and metallic hardcore seemed to be on top of everything with some (still to this day) massive artists like Killswitch Engage. The quality of the bands back then was simply amazing and it was an integral part of my youth. After a while, there were too many metalcore bands doing exactly the same and the genre basically got into a slump. Luckily, it seems like I’ll be able to relive some of my youth with one after the other impressive new and young band popping up that are actually delivering some impressive music, giving the genre some new life or momentum. One such band that has been getting a lot of attention lately, is Portland-based hardcore outfit Dying Wish, who is bringing their debut album ‘Fragments of a Bitter Memory’!

One thing is sure, they come in hard straight from the beginning! With vocalist Emma Boster‘s filthy screams, they kick the door in with ‘Cowards Feed, Cowards Bleed’, ‘Hollowed By Affliction‘ and ‘Innate Thirst‘, a trio of the kind of ass-kicking metalcore tracks that get you bobbing along with your head and feel ramped up to go out and annihilate somebody. The relentless fast-paced tracks are a good first taste of what to expect from these 5 people touching on both personal stories and political/activist topics, reminding me of the time I fell in love with the ferociousness that Walls of Jericho brought on their extremely well-written 2008 album ‘With Devils Amongst Us All‘. And just like I was taken aback with the infusion of clean vocals on one of the tracks on that album, the small first shot of clean vocals in ‘Severing The Senses’ brings the topic on the effects of abuse home even more. The title track continues telling about a similar topic where Boster infuses it with her own personal memories and brings back perfectly placed clean vocal sections in both the background and foreground and the music that knows when to downplay its presence or support the aggression, creating a track that is both heavy as fuck and bone-chilling.

After the music and Boster‘s desperate screams have slowly faded away, they come in hard again with ‘Cold Hearts in Bloom‘. That track again does the similar trick of slowly fading away in the end to then have ‘Until Mourning Comes‘ taking its place with a slow, churning intro that sounds as if they started with the breakdown. But before you know it you get another pummeling of fast-paced drums and riffs with a touch of Gothenburg sounding riffs, and Boster‘s brutal shouts with again a portrayal of her powerful clean vocals tastefully placed at the right spots. The next 3 songs have less of such subtleties, taking you on another maelstrom of metallic hardcore and crushing metalcore where ‘Now You’ll Rot‘ is a crunchy and raunchy punishment of 2,5 minutes, ‘Blood Laced Misery‘ combines the Gothenburg style riffing with hardcore punk sensibilities, tackling white supremacy and related topics. ‘Enemies In Red‘ is one of the absolute highlights of the album with an almost unseen heaviness and brutality and guest vocals by no one other than Bryan Garris of their buddies from Knocked Loose, adding a new level of frantic vibes!

Dying Wish really impresses with their debut full-length here. Their sound is a real nostalgic ride for those who actively took part of the mid-2000s (metallic) hardcore/metalcore golden ages and while they don’t necessarily do anything new or innovative, they absolutely crush it and show off some solid songwriting skills finding a great balance between destructive heaviness and gorgeous melodies. A band that shows great promise for the future and a release that is an absolute must for any metalcore/metallic hardcore fan!

Release date: October 1, 2021
Label: SharpTone Records
Tracklist:

1. Cowards Feed, Cowards Bleed
2. Hollowed By Affliction
3. Innate Thirst
4. Severing The Senses
5. Fragments Of A Bitter Memory
6. Cold Hearts In Bloom
7. Until Mourning Comes
8. Now You’ll Rot
9. Blood Laced Misery
10. Enemies In Red
11. Drowning In The Silent Black

For more online:
https://dyingwishofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DyingWish503/
https://twitter.com/dyingwishhc
https://www.instagram.com/dyingwishhc/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dying-wish/1405075680
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4igS2MSwOIf3F9YeL929IO