EP Review: Currents - 'I Let The Devil In'
Off the back of The Never Say Die Tour and a US headline tour in December, Currents release the fiery follow up to the 2017 release ‘The Place I feel Safest’. The Connecticut Metalcore outfit have always known how to create both atmospheric soundscapes and intense breakdowns and this here, is far from an exception.
‘Into Despair' opens the EP at full throttle. You’re thrown right into what Currents is all about, pure intensity that makes you feel that you’re being thrown around and truly immersed into their massive sound. Vocalist Brian Wille wasn’t afraid to admit that the track is about falling into old and destructive habits. ‘This is the first time I’ve ever felt like I said exactly what I needed to say, and so I’m proud to present’. The ever-present anger shines through not only in the lyrics but the intensity and pace of the song. Filled with ferocious guitar riffs and blast beats, the atmospheric lead up to the breakdown lets you take a breather, in what you can only imagine would cause a major ruckus played live.
‘My Disguise’ opens as you’d expect from a Currents track but leads you into a stunning, perhaps uplifting chorus, that you perhaps wouldn’t expect to hear from them, nonetheless leading us to a beautiful guitar solo before immersing us once again into the sheer heaviness you’d expect from a Metalcore band of their stature.
After a soft start, you’re awakened with another bright and beautiful riff in ‘To Feel Empty’, followed by atmospheric clean vocals, dropping perfectly into a the heavy hard hitting metal we expect from Currents, holding their perfect balance between the almost romantic cleans and dark, angry growls. With ‘Forever Marked’ bringing the 5 track EP to a close with a Prog vibe, that in no way means your neck gets a break from your head banging. Again a fast paced masterpiece that really makes ‘I Let The Devil In’ flourish as a contender for best metal core release of 2018.
If you are a fan of the likes of Silent Planet, Novelists and Northlane, this one is definitely for you.
Words by Ryan Johnson