Source: Album Artwork
Brisbane-born quartet The Brave have high hopes for their debut. Epoch—according to vocalist Nathan Toussaint—is a collection of tracks which each has “its place in time. An epoch is a defining moment or event in time that leaves a memorable mark in history” he explains, “and for us that is exactly what this album is. It’s a significant thing that has taken us from just being a local band having a bit of fun to a signed band with an album we are truly proud of.”
This idea of time in music is interesting, and something barely touched on in The Brave’s genre. Epoch is kicked off by ‘Searchlights’, a track openly inspired by a very personal event. When speaking about the track, Toussaint expressed that ‘Searchlights’ is an ode to his late cousin Ryan, who passed away in 2007. The track is high tempo, frantic, and full of powerful lyrics. The band continues this careful narrative of important topics throughout the album, with busy track ‘Ignited Youth’ belting out a discussion of the human cost of global conflict. Epoch is ambitious, to say the least.
It’s obvious from the start that The Brave is a band that wants to make an impact. Their initial themes—which are, admittedly, dangerously close to being pretentious—are admirable goals, but their sound doesn’t quite match those heights. With the exception of ‘Searchlights’, Epoch’s first half is unremarkable. The quartet have constructed their sound meticulously, combining very heavy instrumentation with Toussaint’s traditional metalcore vocals. The result shares a great deal of DNA with early-era Bring Me The Horizon. ‘Break Free’, ‘Eclipse’, ‘Dreamless’, and ‘Escape’ do, however, all build from distinguishable intros into very similar sounding tracks.
The structure of Epoch becomes much more fluid in its second half. Ethereal track ‘1945’ gets off to a slow start which, backed by echoing vocals, creates something incredibly atmospheric: “Day after day we sail through the smoke, day after day we sail through the dark”. This stripped back, melodic sound is a harsh contrast to the track, ‘Escape’, which precedes it. These break-neck changes in pace hint to the collaborative nature of The Brave’s creative process. Clearly, each member of the band has some input, and their influences come from conflicting sides of the genre spectrum.
You can’t doubt The Brave’s ambition with Epoch. The band took on an interesting concept with their debut and handled heavy topics carefully. As is typical of any artist’s first release, The Brave’s sound still needs some refining, but the guys have to be applauded for their bravery. It’s important for artists to strike a balance between their message and their sound, and it could be that The Brave were over-zealous with the former. The band clearly have heart, and with a bit of hard work, they could create something extraordinary match it.
