Album Review: Emmure – Hindsight

O V E R V I E W

Nu-Metal(core) has made quite the resurgence over the past few years or so. We’ve seen bands like Alpha Wolf, Volumes, Attila, Dealer among others either help to begin the trend or follow down paths which had them pulling from different aspects of this subgenre. Typically categorized by combining elements of heavy or ‘core’ music, with aspects of hip hop and industrial. This isn’t anything new. Korn, Limp Bizkit, and even Deftones (back in the day) were pioneers of this genre in the mid 90’s. Ever a popular focus in the music world, up until (somewhat) recently it had taken to the backburner and lost some of its much garnered favor. But with this newfound interest many of the aforementioned bands have been cashing in on this booming fad. While some of only scratched the surface, there are those that have remained and continue to be fan favorites, including the ever controversial Emmure. Whether it be due to…less than tasteful t-shirt slogans or somewhat questionable song titles, Frankie Palmeri and company are rarely not in the spotlight for one ill-gotten reason or another. But one of those reasons they remain on the tip of tongues and tops of minds is their own brand of heavy hitting nu-metalcore. After what felt to some like a long three years (yes, myself included) with singles even being released as far back as October 2019, the boys are back with their eighth studio album entitled, Hindsight. A fitting title (and I’m sure not one they came upon by accident) considering the year and on top of that, who hasn’t felt a little bit of that sentiment in these crazy times we’ve all been living in of late. Utilizing a few new tricks, plus some of the tried and true staples, the boys are back with perhaps their most concise and solid record to date.

Genre: Nu-metalcore | Metalcore
Label: SharpTone Records
Release: June 26th, 2020
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Purchase: iTunes | Google Play

F L O W  /  L O N G E V I T Y  /  O R I G I N A L I T Y

The opening track fittingly sets the tone for pretty much the entire record. “(F)Inally (U)Nderstanding (N)Othing”, which in case you’re entirely oblivious loosely stands for FUN. And I gotta tell ya, this song (and album as a whole) is a blast! ‘HERE WE GO! ONCE AGAIN! IT’S TIME TO GET DOWN WITH THE REALNESS!’ Screams Palmeri over Joshua Travis hammering on the guitar. The song kicks in hard and fast never refraining, except for the rapped verses which still hold on tight to that momentum. Hindsight is almost the epitome of that at its core. Most songs are fast and heavy hitting, minus a few songs that bring down the pace if only to help emphasize the heavy and the words. As a whole Hindsight as a good feel to it from front to back. I’m sure it isn’t easy trying to decide the order in which songs should be placed, and when you have at least three that tend to follow a different suit that the other ten it can be difficult to find each track’s perfect home. That perhaps is my only qualm with the overall flow of the album when listening to the whole thing. Songs like “203” and “Informal Butterflies” feel somewhat out of place, regardless of their own merits.

How long will this album be getting spins in any one person’s playlist? I guess as long as nu-metalcore is alive and pumpin’. Let’s be clear; I have always been a fan of Emmure. I don’t necessarily turn to them for the most insightful of lyrics, nor a hefty time stamp. Emmure are PERFECT for that fast and angry bop the fuel the most intense of workouts, or perhaps to use as a mental soundtrack when you’re in that neighborhood brawl. If you LOVE the genre, they do oh so well, then this album (especially of all they’ve released) will have a significant amount of plays for years to come. It is THAT solid. But for someone like myself (and I assume others) who simply DIG this style of tunes, there will be those stand out tracks that you can’t help but blast when you’re runnin’ down the highway doing 100, but you may not spin the entire album.

Perhaps my comments on originality will be similar to those on longevity. From my less than intense listens of many bands in this genre, I haven’t heard a TON of originality. DO any of these bands, and especially Emmure, sound like their forefathers in any shape or form? Not even slightly. But to jump from nu-metalcore band to nu-metalcore band these days, I personally don’t hear too many distinguishable differences. I guess it’s what stands out to you, and for me that’s Emmure. It’s a combination of the style in which they shape their songs, and of course Palmeri’s vocals (which I’ll get to shortly). For me Emmure will always be a fun and solid listen, and I’ll always go back to some of their most stellar tracks. Hindsight having the most in my books.

EMMURE – GYPSY DISCO (Official Music Video)

EMMURE #GYPSYDISCO Purchase, Stream here: https://shrptn.co/gypsydisco Website, Tour Dates: https://www.emmurecult.com Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273…

V O C A L S  /  I N S T R U M E N T A T I O N

Frankie Palmeri has always sounded akin to a rabid dog of his leash. Loud barks and vicious growls make up most of his deliverance, of course with the stunningly fantastic flow of rapping he is able to produce. When it comes to this style of tunage I really like Palmeri’s vocals. He sounds mean and nasty. At times he almost sounds as if he exudes the epitome of rudeness. But it is on Hindsight where Palmeri sounds at his all-time best. On “Trash Folder” he begins with a rap style vocal, sounding as if he’s egging the intended receiver of his words with a pretentious and braggadocios tone, which swiftly upswings into some of the most ferocious and furious screams the man has ever produced. “Pan’s Dream” shows Palmeri giving a more emotive performance, and while this song above all others could have actually done with some cleanly sung moments (like Palmeri did WAY back in the day at times), somehow the tone heard through even his gnarly barks and howls feels more heartfelt than on any other track on this album. Plameri IS an angry and easily aggravated man, and that is precisely why he has some of the best vocals found in this genre (in my own opinion).

Ahh, the instrumentation of Emmure. What is there to say really? It isn’t really the most technical music you’ll ever hear. It fits like a glove for what they’re going for, but we all know that especially Joshua Travis has more to offer. Listen, I’m not saying the entire band doesn’t have talents that help Emmure to potentially stand out among their nu-metalcore peers. Drummer, Josh Miller has some ballistic beats that sometimes are the star of the show on certain tracks like on the verses of “Gypsy Disco” or the opening moments of “Uncontrollable Descent”. And Nicholas Pyatt adds that slick backend ooze to every track that helps to give this album its backbone. But I’m not sure Neal Pert or Hendrix would say this was what they were hoping to inspire in young generations of musicians. I gotta say though, it really sounds like the boys were listening to a lot of Loathe when writing this album. Most of the album has that same sludgy/staticy/muffled sound which actually works surprisingly well. This can be heard mostly on tracks like “Thunder Mouth” and “Persona Non Grata”. The lads even went as far as adding some eerie electronic and ambient elements to help give many of these tracks a little extra something, which I must say works so damn well.

C O M P O S I T I O N  /  P R O D U C T I O N

Emmure is Emmure. They may throw in the odd twist or unexpected moment, but they’re true to who and what they are. But you have to give them this; they know how to put out a solid fucking banger of a nu-metalcore album, and Hindsight is the group at their most absolute best. The writing both lyurically and musically may very well be their best yet. Songs like “Pan’s Dream”, “Trash Folder”, and “Uncontrollable Descent” attest to this fact. Sure, it may not be super technical musicianship or deep and profound lyrics, but they know what they’re doing and they do it well. Hindsight IS their most well written record in all aspects, ever.

The production on Hindsight is top titties. They were going for that Loathe-esque sound overall and they nailed it, and the production just brought it all home it made the sludgy, sludgier. The clean and crisp moments all the purer. And bright Palmeri’s vocals to life in a way they’ve never been before. Other nu-metalcore groups should take note and do whatever it is that Emmure did to bring that dirty sound what it truly deserves.

EMMURE – I’VE SCENE GOD (Official Visualizer)

Purchase, Stream here: https://shrptn.co/ivescenegod Website, Tour Dates: https://www.emmurecult.com From the new album ‘HINDSIGHT’ out June 26th. Subscribe:…

F I N A L  T H O U G H T S

Nu-metalcore may not be my most favored of genres. Only the rare band truly peaks my interest and keeps me wanting more. It really is a niche genre and although there are a select few others that grab my full attention, Emmure has to be very close to the top. With each album they keep me coming back for more, and Hindsight is the album that has made me a ravenous fan of this group. It’s not only their most well written record to date, but it is without a doubt their most solid and fun (if you will). The group added some subtle new twists and shake ups to help keep things interesting, while remaining true to who and what they are. If you’re not a fan already, you will be.