Forever Nothing - Weaponry (Review)

At this point, I am a connoisseur of extreme metal. But this does not stop me from taking a few records from other genres as well. This week, I found myself stumbling upon a post-hardcore record in the promo, and glad I picked it up. Based in Reading, UK, Weaponry is a band I wish now I had discovered earlier. Their newest EP “Forever Nothing” is all set to come out on 17th June via Prank Monkey Records, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it.

This is surely some interesting material. The intro track “Take It or Leave It” is a melody driven track with powerful guitar riffs. The drums are thick and punchy enough for modern standards and fit the energy and dynamics of the performance of the band - just as I like it. The vocals almost start off clean and transitions slowly to almost high screams, just as the dynamics of the song rises with every second. “Please Enjoy the Show” is a fun, bouncy track and makes you instantly nod your head. The guitar melody has few dissonance elements mixed within, which provides a slight touch of melancholy too. “Mine” seems to be an extension of where its predecessor left - the execution of the instrumental is at its utmost beauty with catchy phrasings and riffs. Even the track has a memorable hook in the later-half. What puts me off a bit about “Mine” is the vocal execution. A rather clean vocals or a better enactment of the vocal melodies would have been a perfect fit. The final track “My Name of Glory” feels like a celebration of the early 2000s Metalcore Era. While the vocals is surely based on hardcore style, the guitar melodies brought me a lot of Killswitch Engage memories.

Weaponry achieves its intended effect. The songwriting is not something highly complex or technical; a subtle simplicity exists within the record, yet it is rich in various aspects. The wall of sounds the guitars and bass create is powerful enough - you can almost feel the zeal and liveliness everytime a power chord based riff hits! I am in love with the sound of the drums. The processed, bass-heavy and clean drums is what I root for in these kinds of records and it absolutely delivers that. The biggest takeaway however is the vocals - a juvenile quality exists in the vocals and the teenager angst is perfectly depicted. While it fails in moments of “Mine”, the powerful vocal throws really work most of the time (especially “My Name is Glory”). Also, with raw lyrical content covering topics such as homelessness, isolation and anxiety pulling from real life experiences, this one will definitely resonate with people beyond metalheads.

For someone who is highly engrossed mostly in extreme metal, Weaponry was truly a breath of fresh air. Every second of the EP was enjoyable and it's definitely worth your time. For what I can assume now, “Forever Nothing” will be a magnum opus record to hardcore/metalcore fans, and they are gonna remember it as well.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Website: https://www.facebook.com/weareweaponry

Genre: Post-Hardcore

Label: Prank Monkey Records

Worldwide Release: June 17th, 2022.