Kev Rowland
Released in 2016, this six-song EP is not really the style of music I associate with MRR, but the more I played it the more I realised why Nick Katona had signed the band as although metalcore is the order of the day, these guys are way more polished than I would normally expect from the genre. It is when they allow themselves to rip into material such as “Hypocrisy”, where there are some blistering guitar runs and intricate melodies, where they really shine. More songs like this and they would have been onto a real winner, but as it is there are only six songs. No, wait, the final song is a “radio edit” of the title cut which is all of 17 seconds shorter than the original, so make that five. But do we really have to talk about the fifth song? Can we pretend that there were only four and that they were really good and I really enjoyed them? Please?
Okay, so the fifth song on this EP is a five-minute version of “Thriller”. Yes, that “Thriller”. Now, the problem with only playing the audio I can’t tell if they are taking the piss and having fun, or if they genuinely believe that they are adding something to the musical canon. If it is the former then maybe, just maybe, I can forgive them and I’m just not getting the joke. If it is the latter then god help us all. Johnny DiCarlo has a great voice, but this just makes me cringe. I do look forward to hearing more from NeverWake, as their version of metalcore combined with heavy melodic rock is very listenable indeed, but please, no more Michael.