Spirit filled hardcore
- The Recovery
- Enlow's return after an indefinite hiatus proves that they are back and here to stay, with a powerful sound that can capture the ears of metalheads, hardcore kids, and punkers alike. Well worth a listen (even if you don't fit into any of those categories)!
- Buy it on Amazon
- But it on ITunes
After a hiatus and an indefinite future, Enlow has returned with their follow up to 2003’s “The Desperate Letters”. Their new release, “The Recovery”, was recorded with the infamous Stephen Egerton of Blasting Room Studios (perhaps you know him better as one of The Descendents). Not only is this a solid release, but it already seems to be getting a lot of press and drumming up attention from the scenesters, drawing comparisons to Underoath, Dead Poetic, and even This Day Forward.
Personally, I am not Mr. Hardcore Aficionado, so comparisons are hard to draw for me when I listen to albums like this one. Most people who listen to hardcore would scoff or laugh at the comparisons that I could make here because my ears are less trained to the sound, but I did dabble in the hardcore scene in my teenage years and so, I’ll give it a shot… their sound is a mix of the ever-popular metalcore trend and an early hardcore/post-hardcore sound. Translation: I think of Stretch ArmStrong and old-school punk/hardcore like early H2O, but can hear influences of modern metalcore like some of Zao’s stuff and perhaps something a bit more chaotic like Norma Jean. And whether or not the hardcore kids agree with my assessment is not important, what is important is that this CD is a great example of what the moniker “Spirit filled hardcore” should be, as well as proof that trendi-core doesn’t have to have control of the hardcore genre and scene.
Now, I am aware that many, if not most, of our readers probably don’t make a habit of listening to hardcore and/or metal, but I would like to suggest Enlow as a possible gateway drug to help wet your taste for checking out hard music. Enlow is able to maintain melody throughout the entire CD, even in the shades of chaos that occassionally ensue. The vocals fluctuate between harsh metalcore scream, punk rock yells, and, believe it or not, some actual singing. Behind the vocals, there are hardcore breakdowns (ya know, “chugga chugga” type sounds), 80’s metal-esque riffs, and good old fashioned fist pumping punk drums that can make even me want to get into the pit and mosh it up. Most songs incorporate various different elements; for instance, the verse structure sounds like a Youth of Today or Gorilla Biscuits song that has you raising your fist and dancing, the chorus is an intense metallic hardcore breakdown that necessitates a pit clearing spinkick, and the bridge has enough hair metal riffs to make even CC Deville bang his head and put up the metal sign. Of course, some songs have different feelings to them, whereas different elements of Enlow’s style shine brighter in them (“In the Face of Uncertainty” is possibly the most danceable track in my opinion, while “The Fight of Your Life” truly highlights their ability to write an epic hardcore anthem).
Since I wrote my apologetics to the non-hardcore kids, I feel the need to talk to the few of you who are know hardcore and know it much better than me… you’ll dig this CD too! If you are only into extremely brutal chaotic hardcore or grindcore, this is probably not a CD you are going to enjoy at all. However, anyone that likes well crafted melodic hardcore should have no problem sinking their teeth into this one. Moreover, Christian hardcore kids and anyone else who tends to enjoy the subgenre of spirit filled hardcore need to go buy this CD immediately if they haven’t already.
In the end, my opinion is obvious, Enlow is a good, if not great hardcore band. It is not often that CDs like this can make it into my permament collection, much less have the possibility of being heavy rotation… but this is one of the few, the proud. So, Enlow, here’s to you and your newest release, “The Recovery”… may you continue to infuse the styles of music you love and the inspiring spirit that is evident in this release into everything you do.
April 12th, 2006 at 9:33 am
[…] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m not the world’s foremost expert on metal or hardcore. But for me, this is a solid album. The old school hardcore-esque gang vocals on a few tracks really pumped me up and the thrashy guitar had me banging my head. It’s safe to say that if you like thrash, you’ll like this album. Album rated 3 out of 5. […]