Metalcore has tended to steer away from its core over the last few years, adding in the likes of synths and more pop-like vocals; whereas at the core it’s essentially metal music with more breakdowns and more gruff vocals. Iowa newbies Under Paris seem to be attempting to bring it back down to earth with a massive thump, and keeping it all very pure. There is a problem with keeping things pure, and true to the basic themes, it really needs to be spectacular to really start making some waves, and at certain points Transitions just feels a little too metalcore by numbers.
There is nothing to say that the album isn’t a very nicely put together debut album, as you can really go the other direction in creating something altogether too different and quite frankly awful. Let’s look at the positives Michael ‘Thorr’ Alexander’s unclean vocals are brutal to be blunt, it really sounds like he is ripping his vocal chords apart, and that just adds to the overall destructive nature of the album, couple that with what is incredibly competent and rhythmic music and you get some decidedly enjoyable tracks. The likes of ‘At War With Myself’ and ‘Midwest Winters’ create some fantastic tracks which will hopefully become part of a more expansive back catalogue in the future, and are a decent indicator that if they keep moving forwards they’ll become a stalwart metalcore band. To be honest, when seeing the track name ‘Yoloswag#420’ I did despair, but in the end it’s a quick and powerful track, creating one of the more memorable.
Sadly though there are areas that do let the album down. Rylie Philips’ clean vocals, may well be the small bit of melody the album needs to break itself down a little bit, but throughout the album, each time they crop up, it’s like hearing the same chorus over and over again, more variety is needed. As stated before as well, this does feel a bit too metalcore by numbers, a bit safe in places. Obviously the band has taken some influence in tone from the likes of Chelsea Grin and Parkway Drive, and that in places is too apparent. That may be part of the appeal, but when you sometimes feel like you could well be listening to a different band it sometimes puts you off.
It’s a valiant effort for a first album from Under Paris, and the star of the show is the final track, and first single from the album, ‘At Peace’ which includes Garret Rapp, vocalist for The Color Morale. There are more than enough positives and hints of what could still be left in the tank to get a bit more excited for this band, but you should always judge an artist on their last piece of work, and although overall solid, isn’t inspiring enough.
