Ah metalcore. It seems every single week we are faced with another wave of new bands, playing metalcore, claiming to be something new and exciting but in actual reality are just a cheap copy of the band we heard before. Every so often though something comes along that makes your ears prick up and think ‘hmmmm maybe there is still something to be said in the genre’. Well here we have Holland’s own Athena’s World with their latest EP Lasting Legacy. Do this band have what it takes to get your attention or just another band helping to push metalcore towards the same fate as Nu-Metal?
Ok there is no reinvention of the wheel here but we must say for a band in their infancy (they have only been about little over a year) this isn’t bad. Opener ‘Deserved Freedom’ comes across pretty throwaway for an opener but give it time as second track ‘Death From Above’ shows some real promise. Opening with an interesting guitar line and an almost military beat it opens up into a good heavy track. It has a repetitive formula but here on a track like this it works and drills itself into your subconscious. and coming in at three and a half minutes it finishes before it starts to grate.
With ‘Wolfpack’, although it keeps the aggression presented on earlier tracks and a similar formula, it is a much more melodic song and it works for them. It’s a fist pumping opus although that blast beat/triggered drum part is a bit overkill. ‘Honour The Fallen’ follows a similar route but to less successful results. There are parts of the song which are good but there are also parts that feel a bit rushed. A few extra hours in the writing process could of really made this something special.
‘This Is How It Ends’ is aptly how the EP ends. There is no diversion from the blueprints of the rest of this record on the track but it is possibly the strongest track here. One thing we could say is maybe ease off on the lea.ad guitar noodling. It is a constant on every track on here and it is something that is a bit much at times. It is not always needed. sometimes you just need to let a track breathe and keep it a little simpler.
All in all this isn’t a bad effort for a band so early in their career. They may not ne ready to take over the world quite yet but it shows promise and we here look forward to seeing what develops. We can tell you something for sure though, this is not the last you’ll hear of Athena’s Word.
