Volumes‘ newest record came out yesterday (12th December), and it’s been met with some pretty mixed reviews. Publications like Kerrang! and Blabbermouth, blogs such as Metal Insider and Dead Rhetoric, and good ol’ trusty r/metalcore on Reddit, weighed in on the new record, delivering a mix of thoughts that seem overwhelmingly positive at first, until you dig a little deeper.
The now 15-year-old band is no stranger to making a good record – take 2011’s Via or 2014’s No Sleep for example – and bands do need to evolve over that length of time. Known specifically for their djent-adjacent sound and dedication to polyrhythms, Volumes has leaned into their melodic side on this newest record, and that doesn’t always go over well.
On one hand, Blabbermouth glowed about the record, stating that the record “is for anyone who likes heavy, technical and emotionally charged music” and Volumes is “heavy but emotive, technical but filled with feeling and aggressive but groove laden” before giving the record an 8 out of 10 score. The blogs and what seems to be a majority of r/metalcore follow a similar pattern of thinking.
On the other, a few fans on r/metalcore were quick to point out that the softer songs (“Adrenaline,” the album’s focus track and the most recent music video, was picked on the most) were forgettable and claiming that Volumes was trying to chase the Dayseeker craze, another saying it was generic and safe, a few latching onto the term “pop djent.” I would take these opinions with a grain of salt if it weren’t for the fact that Kerrang! gave the record a whopping 2 out of 5 stars, stating the track “California” is “corny enough to make your teeth squeak” and “Stitch” is “a track that doesn’t so much miss the mark as forget where the target even is.” However, writer James Hingle did say the record has a “killer opening [and] a strong closing argument,” but closes the statement out with “far too much forgettable filler stuffed in between.”
Volumes’ line-up for Mirror Touch included Myke Terry and Michael Barr sharing vocal responsibilities, Raad Soudani on bass, and Nick Ursich on drums. The ten-track LP being released via the band’s longtime label, Fearless Records.
The physical copy of the record will land late this coming February. Pre-orders are open now. You can check out the full tracklist for Mirror Touch below, as well as the brand new music video for “Adrenaline,” released alongside the album’s debut.
Tracklist:
- “Sidewinder”
- “Bottom Dollar”
- “Bad Habit”
- “California”
- “Adrenaline”
- “Stitch”
- “S.O.A.P.”
- “Dream”
- “Worth It”
- “Suffer On” (feat. Black Sheep Wall)
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