LYCHWAY — In Search (review)

EP · 2011 · Melodic Metalcore

3.5/5 · 2011-06-23
Time Signature

Hellbound...

Genre: melodic metalcore

Now, metalcore has developed into a very broad genre spanning numerous subgenres such as mathcore, deathcore, melodycore, and what not. It is true that metalcore has sort of reached the same status in modern day metal as glam metal had in the 80s and nu metal in the 90s - that is, a subgenre considered untrue metal and rejected per se by many fan segments within the metal community. Now, in my experience, there is a lot of good metalcore out there (and I do not consider metalcore untrue metal by the way), so I do not reject all metalcore releases per se.

So, when I was presented with the oprtunity of reviewing this upcoming release, I obviously jumped at it, and I am glad I did, because "In Search" by Lychway is actually quite good.

The opening track, appropriately called "Opening Remarks" starts out with a nice tapping intro with the vocals very low in the mix, and then changes into a Coheed & Cambria-like two-guitar melody sort of verse where each guitar plays its own lead pattern (one continues the tapping while the other plays a simple two-strokes-and-a-bend melody), while the vocals are now louder in the mix. And this works well as an intro, although I like what they do in this track so much that I wish they had made a full track out of it.

The following track "Whispers" sort of continues down the same lane combining an kind of dark U2-style atmospheric lead guitar pattern (with added delay) with a more solid and simple riffing guitar whose riff is also sort of melodic, and quite awesome. This track also contains one of those breakdowns that characterize metalcore, and in this track the breakdown works very well as it combines simple groove with bursts of dissonance.

"Hellbound" is another very melodic track in which one of the guitars play a tapping based lead melody. Starting out heavy, the track changes into a more uptempo track, and some of the riffage seems to be inspired by alternative metal or grunge from the 90s. Towards the end there is another sort of metalcore breakdown (except there are vocals all the way through), and again this is a well executed breakdown which slowly disintegrates and serves as an interesting outro of the song.

"Passing the Same Faces, Different Days" makes use of the same sort of changing between heavy and uptempo parts, and contains some of the best melodic lead guitars on the EP, and there is also a heavy sort of breakdown (again accompanied by vocals), and again the breakdown fits neatly into the overall picture of the track.

"Space Between (Interlude)" is a very melodic instrumental, as the title indicates, interlude, and as with "Opening Remarks", I like what they do in this track so much that I wish they'd make a whole song out of it.

The title track is a heavier affair with a couple of doom-ladden sections and, of course, the obligatory melodic guitar leads.

The only points of criticism I have are that I think that the screamed vocals become kind of monotonous. The vocalist delivers them convincingly, and, in away, the band deserve kudos for avoiding the metalcore cliché combination of harsh and clean vocals. However, given that the music on this release is as melodic as it is, clean melodic vocals now and then would suit the whole atmosphere and overall feel of this EP very well. My other point of criticism is that there are no guitar solos - there is plenty of lead guitar, which is great. It sort of evokes the same melancholic feel as Paradise Lost's music does, which is bolstered by the use of atmospheric keyboards. However - again, given the melodic nature of the music on this release - some melodic guitar solos would enrich the overall musical experience of listening to "In Search".

In all this is a very solid metalcore release which emphasizes melody without sacrificing heaviness and groovy breakdowns. Fans of melodic metalcore should certainly check out this EP when it gets released in August.