Album Review: Beartooth - 'Below'
Ignore the title, this album has Beartooth going above and beyond!
After a hellish time in the 2020s so far, with a global pandemic destabilising the music industry and lockdown after tiring lockdown threatening all hope in humanity, the Ohio hardcore outfit have managed to stick it out and keep moving forward doing what they do best: writing sick songs and rocking out to the fullest extent. The album also comes after the departure of long-term guitarist Kamron Bradbury, and saw technician Will Deely fill the void for this era. Through the low points and losses, there is still a light at the end. Enter Below.
The first single released, 'Devastation' was the first taste of this new album and it was an exciting surprise for fans and critics alike. This track saw a deviation from the sound Beartooth had established in the past, turning down a heavier, louder, rougher path than they've ventured before. The sound is risky - as it is with any music act - but it's a risk that truly paid off for them all. The mix of Caleb Shomo's angry growls and his softer-sung harmonised vocals brings it to its extremities and shows that the band are not messing around this time. Not with how this year's been. They know what they're bringing to the table, and they're only going to raise this metaphorical bar higher and higher.
One of the best tracks on the album when it comes to raw explosive emotion is 'Fed Up'. One that Shomo says was written recently during his time in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's one of the most relevant and relatable tunes throughout the 12-track record; it's a story each and every person around the world has lived in the last 15 months. Whether it was short-term until their area was cleared of risk, or it's still happening to this day with many lives lost and many more losing the battle, The sound is catchy, the vocals are short and concise enough to chant back, and maybe in the (near) future when live shows can resume and fans and bands can be in one room at the same time again, they can hear these words shouted out. A healthy therapeutic metal track that with some luck will become a tale of times that once were by the end of 2021.
Below, in terms of its sound, is an album that puts through everyone's ears what the world is feeling in their heads and their hearts. Anger, yearning, isolation, and it's a story more being told now than ever - and most importantly, it's a story with an audience bigger than ever before. Beartooth are one of the most exciting heavy bands in the industry right now, and with this shook-up style and bringing out all of the no-holds-barred feelings, it's looking like a hardcore summer is ahead and Below will be the soundtrack for punks around the world as they live and work through this pandemic.
Time to look above, with the help of Below.
Words by Jo Cosgrove