Elwood Stray is gearing up with a new album.
To celebrate the band’s tenth anniversary, Maik (vocals), Fabi (guitar/vocals), Niels (guitar), Ralle (bass), and Raphael (drums) are unveiling Descending with the help of Out of Line Music.
The German combo opts for moderation, starting with Doom, an introductory track that is initially rather hazy but which allows the vocalist’s screams to call for a simple but heavy rhythm to join Evolve, where the riffs really explode, linking together passages each more catchy than the last. While the Metalcore roots are more than obvious, there are also more striking Post-Hardcore touches at work, such as in the chorus, where clean vocals temporarily replace the screams, while Shattered prefers a slightly softer introduction that colors the rhythm. Despite the obvious aggression, there are mostly joyful touches before the crushing break that leads to Crocodile Tears, where the band returns to a more energetic and easily unifying approach, still offering sampled electro elements for the choruses. The merry-go-round continues until the devastating mosh part, then a final chorus led by Fabi takes us to Error, where the band is joined by Timo from Our Mirage to reinforce the vocal strike force while the rhythm section also goes wild. The song naturally gives way to Nevermind, which takes over at a good pace, revealing a furious rhythm with surprising but extremely effective Old School influences before the gentle break that Detached, the next track, has in store for us. Although it starts off as a simple ballad composed of vocals and electronic instrumentals, we sense that saturation is not far off, as evidenced by the second half, which leads into Ivory Tower, a track less than two minutes long that unleashes all its fury with frenetic phrasing and rhythms at first, followed by thick beatdown roots for the rest of the song. The energy returns with Neon Fade, which rages in waves until the central climax, then a rather dreamy solo calms our spirits before the album ends with Genesis, which once again returns to a catchy simplicity and, unsurprisingly, a climax with Maik‘s furious screams as he gives his all on the break.
Elwood Stray fans will get what they want with Descending, short but incisive and very direct tracks that keep their infectious energy right to the end. However, we would have appreciated a few more riffs or tracks to take it past the half-hour mark.
70/100
