Enabler - All Hail the Void
Rating
RIYL
Black BreathDarkest Hour
Comeback Kid
Struck By Lightning
Release Date
07/17/2012
Label
Southern LordTracklist
1. F.A.T.H.2. The Heathens
3. Speechless
4. Fuck Today
5. False Profit
6. All Hail the Void
7. True Love
8. They Live, We Sleep
9. No Deliverance
10. Save Yourself
11. Trust
12. Funeral Dirge
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Before you read this review, click that handy little “listen” icon and stream one of the songs from the band’s Bandcamp. Are you back? Good. Were you able to appreciate the drummer going bananas on his kit? That just so happens to be former Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley. He sure has come quite a long way from being behind Patrick Stump singing about tight jeans and God complexes. Andy’s appearance on the record, thankfully, is not the biggest surprise to be heard.
I’m going to use a word that will make every music snob scoff at this band immediately, but it’s an accurate description of what Enabler sounds like: metalcore. You read that correctly, these gentlemen (who sound anything but gentle) combine all of the best parts of metal and hardcore together for an altogether fast, fun, and furious display of fun metalcore, circa 2000. The band eschews one-note breakdowns and faux-angst for unadultered vitriol. The band’s clear and concise motto is: “The world is fucked, and this is the soundtrack to its demise.” This ethos permeates nearly every song from the album, save for the almost optimistic “True Love,” a track that deserves to be heard live, as I imagine it could show scene kids a thing or two about how heavy melodic hardcore can be.
The oddest part about All Hail the Void is how fresh it sounds, despite not really having a whole heap of new ideas. The foundation is equal parts chaotic hardcore and technical, thrash-influenced metal, but there are flourishes of death metal (a la Darkest Hour’s heavier moments) and melodic hardcore (“True Love”). Those added touches help differentiate each track from each other, otherwise the maelstrom might prove too overbearing. There are also some d-beat tendencies, but unlike most of the band’s fellow Southern Lord labelmates, crust punk is the cream cheese on top of the already baked bagel instead of a key ingredient.
The album is not without its flaws, as the aggressive, nearly nonstop fury is a bit much to take all at once, but Enabler’s brand of metallic metal should be all sorts of tomfoolery live. Also, while each of the twelve songs is enjoyable, only a few reach above the level of really good. However, there is really little to complain about for fans of metalcore that leans heavily on the better parts of each genre than on the generic and uninteresting elements.
--Nick Senior
Comments
Columbus, OH
Rick, how much different was your take on the album? I know you were ready to do a discoveries write-up on them. For those that are on the fence about this, it's a really great metallic hardcore album.
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Minnesota
I'll give everyone a preview of this album's entry into a future Discoveries article:
There is no slowing down the pace of Enabler's hardcore/metal concoction. This is piss & vinegar infused, distorted, abrasive, crusty, metal-tinged hardcore. It's like the members of Enabler took the best parts of the bands they used to be in (ie: Harlots, Shai Hulud, Earth Crisis, Trap Them) and fused them all together into a rage-filled album intent on punishing you in all the right ways.
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Reno, NV
Nice review, although I tend to agree with Rick's description a bit more. Either way, I enjoyed the piss and vinegar out of this album on first listen.
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