Okay so when it comes to hardcore/metalcore, Delaware has
been popping off lately. I don’t know whether it was always this good over
there and Year of the Knife just woke everyone up or if the locals were
inspired by the band’s success and rejuvenated the scene, but either way there
are a ton of great new bands coming out of the state. In addition to the
previously mentioned Year of the Knife, Delaware has birthed several notable
young acts like Foreign Hands, Simulakra, and the subject of this review:
the Delaware/New Jersey metalcore outfit Contrast of Sin. This 3-track promo is the band’s first release, up on Bandcamp and all streaming services. There was also a tape release of the promo, limited
to 40 copies, sold by Arduous Path Records. I snagged my own tape and as of this posting, there are still a few more up for sale, so grab one if you're interested.
My personal cassette copy.
CoS
first came to my attention via hardcore Twitter, where just about
everyone in Year of the Knife, Rain of Salvation, and Simulakra was screaming at their followers to listen to the band. After spinning this promo, I understand why. This shit rips. Contrast of Sin has a very thick, metallic, and dissonant
sound, not unlike that of Holy Terror bands. This shouldn’t be surprising
considering their name was almost word for word ripped straight from an
Integrity album. The Integrity influence is obvious in the vocals, which are
highly reminiscent of Dwid’s howls while sounding a bit more raw and intense.
The chaotic, frantic vocals also remind me of the raspy yet powerful delivery
of Tyler Mullin from Year of the Knife. The songs, for the most part, are
mid-tempo barrages of breakdowns, though the band will pick up the pace for
brief periods and serve up some thrashy passages, adding a bit of variety to
their sound. The band also utilizes the dark metalcore convention of using
guitar feedback in an atmospheric manner, which works pretty well and doesn’t
sound forced. I was pleasantly surprised by how prominent the bass was in the
mix. It’s audible for every song and sounds great while not taking attention
away from anything else. In fact, the production as a whole is really good for
a promo. The band was able to find a great balance between rawness and clarity
where the recording gives off a cold, dark vibe while still sounding good and
packing a punch. The drums also sound punchy and intense as the drummer performs
tempo changes with ease and pounds away during the many breakdowns. I don't have any complaints, everything about their sound just comes together extremely well and I'm glad I discovered these guys so early.
This is a seriously good first release from a new artist I'm genuinely excited about. Contrast of Sin have the potential to be a heavy hitter in the East Coast hardcore scene after a few years, so get on this and support the guys. They just played their first set at the This Is Hardcore 2019 preshow last month and have said more shows are on the way. I'm definitely seeing them whenever they make it to Connecticut.
FFO: Integrity, Year of the Knife, Holy Terror Bands.
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