Nu-metal has had a divine rebirth in the last decade, as a wave of new artists has taken the contagion that was this genre, reawakened it, and turned nostalgia into evolution. Repetitive grooves and harmonic riffs are baptized in breakdowns & technical drumming, rapping and mid vocals are mutated into gutturals & high screams, and angst has matured into wrath. It's difficult to say these bands are bringing a genre back when some are crafting it into something entirely more animalistic than it was before. More volatile is when bands add the mixture of grit and edged elements of the hardcore world—it's just a merciless combination that isn't to be fucked with.
Over the Atlantic Ocean and into the heart of Worcester, England: Convey has delivered one of the more mind-gripping releases this evolved genre has seen. "A Place In Hell For Us Both" is a 6-track English sledgehammer to the fucking face. Stellar production, visceral vocals, swinging and bouncing drums, breakdowns, and guitar riffs that are absolutely geared to kill—this strand of nu-hardcore is dangerous to be around. It's aggressive and energetic, and you can feel the foam from the mouth of this EP from start to finish. It's hard to see the band in the underground circuit with how mature and well-crafted it is, and I can only imagine that if Convey wasn't before, they are now absolutely going to dominate the area.
"Eternal" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Kicking off the release is "Eternal," an adrenaline-fused track that repetitively builds itself up and dropkicks the shit out of you throughout the 2 and a half minute runtime. There's a lot of versatile energy happening here—vocals from Jack Gannon that rapidly stretch, twist, and reach into highs and lows; drums that gallop and stomp at you; and one of the gnarliest bouncing riffs to open a damn track with. Previously released as the EP's chosen single, it's paired with a glitch-distorted music video of the four-piece group—(what's the British term for "going apeshit"?)—going apeshit in a single room. If your band can't perform for each other like Convey does in just one damn room, go back to the drawing board.
"Masquerade" is a nu-metal staple with grooving riffs, metalcore-tempered screaming choruses, and one of the most interesting-sounding breakdowns on the release. These space-like screeching synths during the breakdown give a "DOOM: Eternal" backdrop that makes the track feel like it's transcending, while Alex Cross' crisp footwork and cherry-bomb-sounding snare echo in the void.
"I Deserve This; Give Me Pain."
There are darker urges at work in "Death Rattle," a previously released track with atmospheric doom-like chords and Gannon [vocalist] delivering his own memorial in the form of hardcore mids, 'dead-man' talking, and delivering our first sign of direct death metal dabbling at the rear end of the track. It's a comfortable change of pace and a show of versatility of the release after the first two tracks have already hammered the shit out of you. "Say It Again" is the bounciest track of the EP, in the vein of FoxLake and Limp Bizkit, but with a hardcore street vibe. The chorus is catchy, the track is tough, and it concretes itself as another definitive track of what you'd think "Nu-Hardcore" actually is.
Throughout this release, the guitarist and producer of the band, Ollie Miles, is an absolute weapon. The guitar tone and riffs chosen are crisp and bite, even being as downtuned as it is. The backdrop effects, samples, and mix/master [Sam Bloor] give the entire EP this flesh and brine to it that makes Convey sound like absolute heavyweights. The genre's future is in good hands, I assure you. Coming towards the end of the EP is "Lie To Me," an aggressive, slamming track with hardcore rapping verses, catchy nu-core-like energy and choruses, and dripped in angst.
The closing track of APIHFUB is absolutely fucking nuts and my personal favorite. "Severed" starts with KoRn-esque guitar leads and whispering vocals—and then a rumbling bass riff enters, which is the universal sign that you're about to get your shit rocked for the rest of the song. You do, in fact, get rocked. The track is unhinged and the meanest out of the entire catalogue, with wrathful guitar, bass, and drums swinging with an axe while Gannon transitions between gutturals and face-tearing highs. The band lost their minds on this one. The breakdown sounds like the Tallon Electric "Noise" pedal got thrown against the damn wall repetitively, and whatever sound came out with each hit, that's what was recorded. This type of track is badass and will leave people in the moshpit on a stretcher. If Convey can choose to be as hateful and creative as this on a whim, the UK won't be able to confine this band with the potential they have for the future.
"A Place In Hell For Us Both" is overall more than a showcase of nu-metal's street edge and grooves shaking hands with the hardcore world's "no-holds-barred" attitude. Convey has stimulated the genre with a release that's furthering this new breed of artists that can take a multitude of metal sounds and force them into a signature tone that's aggressive, energetic, and can flip on a dime as it pleases. The EP bounces and shatters while still being in its respective fast lane and is a welcome addition to this wave of metal rebirths that are growing globally. There is a place in hell for us both, and Convey has reserved the seating.
For our UK-based readers, catch Convey on their upcoming EP release show on February 20th at 'The Frog and Fiddle' in Cheltenham with Fangs Out, Skora, and Victims of Life here:
