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Conveyer

When Given Time To Grow

Written by: PP on 21/01/2016 22:12:02

Victory hasn't exactly been known for quality signings in recent years, but every now and then they strike gold. One of them is Conveyer, whose sophomore album "When Given Time To Grow" ticks mostly all boxes required to make a great melodic hardcore release these days, save for originality. With The Ghost Inside, Hundredth, Counterparts and the usual suspects at the forefront of the soundscape, Conveyer's expression channels the melodic rage and ambitious, almost theatrical guitar melodies of these bands into a faith-based knuckle punch of a record that leaves no listener standing at the end of the record.

Opener "Shining" sets the tone with lingering melodies providing the ear-pleasing contrast to the breakneck speed, ultra-tight pummeling that the song begins with. Melodic guitars constantly battle for airspace in the background, while the throaty screams of Danny Adams provide the coarse grain needed to retain a heavy and aggressive vibe throughout. These, by the way, are some of the most convincing and memorable pipes we've come across recently, certainly offering more in terms of sense for melody and confident charisma than, say, Counterparts, whose vocalist doesn't stick out particularly from the rest of the melodic hardcore crowd. Adams, on the other hand, knows how to impress early on. "Haven", for example, offers a chilling example during its "iiiiiiiiiiiii've had a change of heaaaaart" screams delivered in a raspily vibrating manner. It certainly sounds like his days as a screamer are done just about any day now - just the way we like it with our melodic hardcore singers, right?

Most of the songs are played with a relentless tempo, bringing to mind Comeback Kid's hardcore punk-fueled approach, and going longer back, the early material by melodic hardcore pioneers Shai Hulud, especially instrumentally. With a constant focus on melodic leads, Conveyer establish themselves as a much catchier outfit, however, and one able to vary its expression without resorting into senseless breakdowns. While those exist, the overall impression of "When Given Time To Grow" is a much more dynamic riff-based one compared to many of its peers. "Impatience", for instance, features Hotel Books' singer Cam Smith on guest vocals, where his spoken-word poetic rambling over somber instrumentation adds a beautiful contrast to the lofty, anthemic melodic hardcore passages straight after. Quite different from the brutality of "Ruined" or the melodic hardcore punk of "Waste".

So while Conveyer may not add much originality in the melodic hardcore space, their expression is right up there with the best bands in the genre. That's something to be proud of considering the saturation of the style lately with countless The Ghost Inside clones. They push all the right buttons and land at a perfect balance between catchy and brutal, resulting in what has been a scene favorite since its release.

Download: Haven, Nothing, Impatience, Resist/Admit
For the fans of: The Ghost Inside, Comeback Kid, It Prevails, Hundredth, Shai Hulud
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.09.2015
Victory Records