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Southampton’s Bury Tomorrow are HUGE! In every sense of the word, possibly the city’s biggest band right now, they sound HUGE, they have a huge following and they are continuing to make huge waves on the UK metal scene. The biggest question though is are they any good or are they just another tired metal band re-treading the same ground as a zillion other bands?

WHO GIVES A FUCK!? Bury Tomorrow are awesome and that is all that matters!

Metalcore apparently!? Another stupid genre name; the band encompass so many styles of metal including emo via thrash evolving into death metal and colliding with hardcore (to name a few). To do them the dis-service of narrowing it into one all encompassing word other than metal and metal alone is insulting to the band and their music.

Okay, so even the band members themselves refer to it as metalcore (with vocals). If it makes them happy!

Each song on this, the band’s debut full-length record is (almost) pure brutal metal music at its best.

A superb production highlights every moment on this great album. Every single moment throughout is given the studio respect it deserves. This all means that every down-tuned and punishing riff invites the listener to slam dance in their own living room whilst simultaneously appreciating every nuance and clever motif throughout.

First track ‘Confessions’ introduces what Bury Tomorrow are all about; mixing angular guitars, crushing rhythms, Dani Filth style screams juxtaposing with waif-like emo vocals and culminating in an ethereal and delightful guitar coda. The band immediately makes it clear that they are not just about chest-beating, man’s metal and this alone sets them apart from many of their contemporaries.

However, it is the intense thrash of second track ‘Evolution of Self’ that really gets my blood pumping. A tribal chant introduces the track before a crunching, almost speed-metal riff underpins more brutal and intense lyrics before segueing into a killer hook line of a chorus. Once again, the band bravely shows off their tender side with a wonderful, beautifully crafted slice of chugging, spaced out chill-out guitar and ambience at the end. This is excellent stuff.

‘You & I’ follows a similar template to ‘Evolution of Self’ at the start before veering briefly into death metal territory with some slowed-down metal friction before slamming back into full-time savagery. Once again, a killer chorus made even more impressive by the band’s refusal to sing ‘American’. The band are British and damn proud of it, it would seem.

Despite forging a sound largely of their own, the band doesn’t stray too far from this (albeit malleable) formula once they have set things in motion. Each successive track is not ridiculously different from the last, but where this would hinder some bands longevity, boredom never sets in due to the sheer force of delivery and intense focus the band have combined with each song’s own unique, subtle moments of brilliant re-invention. The nod to galloping Iron Maiden riffery on ‘Her Bones in the Sand’, the dark, brooding doom of ‘Repair the Lining’, twin guitar virtuosity inherent in ‘Casting Shapes’ and so on.

Don’t get me wrong, Bury Tomorrow are not the most unique metal band since Sabbath first inherited the term, but neither does the band ever descend into mere parody or blatant plagiarism.

The continued, self re-evaluation of the band continues with the aptly named ‘Relief’. The band wanders into rock balladry. A brave move and one that could so easily fall flat on its face, but by now I have fully established the talent on display and with vocals this good they just about manage to succeed. The wise move not to follow formula and end the song on a building metal climax is testament to their understanding of the metal genre and how to not only embrace the rules, but also break them in style. It is an effective moment on the record.

‘Anything With Teeth’ and ‘These Woods Aren’t Safe For Us’ continue with the now distinct Bury Tomorrow sound; adding nu-metal shredding into the mix on occasion, although struggling slightly to keep up with the previous salvo of excellent music.

The album closer, the title-track itself sees the band end the album with the epic tune it deserves. Raising the bar even further both in performance and musical virtuosity it is a great way to end an impressive debut album from an equally impressive band. I am a convert and also happy to report that beyond the current emo trend, there might actually be a healthy future for metal music after all.

The band are about to embark on a UK and European tour in December with Bless the Fall including a date at Southampton’s Joiners Arms on 9th December. You might want to grab tickets now as they WILL sell out.