Rise to Remain “Bridges will Burn” – EP Review

Review: Lana Harris

  Rise to Remain is proving to be a prophetic moniker for this five piece Metalcore band from London. Only a few years old, they’ve been awarded a Golden God award for Best New Band in 2010 and their EP release, Bridges will Burn, displays that the band are worthy of such accolades. The overall sound of Rise to Remain contains all the definitive elements expected in metal – shredding up and down the fretboard, melodic and scratchier vocals combined within tracks, heavy guitar and drum work, blended with the speed of hardcore.

Best track on the album is ‘Illusive Existence’. It contains cascading avalanches of relentless drumming that makes it the most brutal of the songs. Space is allocated within this to show off not just the talents of Pat Lundy (drums) but also a good chunk of solid guitar soloing. Guitar shred is prevalent throughout the EP, appearing on every track but only ever in shortish bursts.

A distinctive feature of the Rise to Remain sound demonstrated on Bridges to Burn is the entrances songs make. Foreboding, prescient, the intros for ‘Nothing Left’, ‘Purify’ and ‘Illusive Existence’ are immediately engaging and conjure up anticipation for the main event where the real heaviness drops in. (This is then lost for some of the choruses, where the sound is cleaned up). ‘Purify’ is the most straightforward of the tracks, ‘Salvation’ the most energetic. But these are small differences within a sound that is remarkably consistent.

Vocal range spans from tuneful to growling. Fun fact: Iron Maiden’s singer Bruce Dickinson sired Austin Dickinson the vocalist of Rise to Remain. The talent is there but Austin’s voice is his own. He will of course have to suffer comparisons for the rest of his career.

Rise to Remain have produced a strong EP with Bridges Will Burn that demonstrates the band have settled on their sound early. It’s not genre breaking. It is catchy, heavy and pretty fast. Playing Soundwave next year (2011) at a capital city near you.


More articles by Lana Harris:
* U2 @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane w/ Jay Z – 8 December 2010 – Live Review
* Radio Birdman “Live in Texas” – LP Review
* Montpelier ‘Last Boat’ Single Review
* Weezer “Hurley” – LP Review
* Soilwork “The Panic Broadcast” – LP Review
* Danza Contemporanea De Cuba @ The Playhouse (Brisbane Festival), 15th September 2010 – Live Review
* Polarity @ The Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane 13th September 2010 – Live Review
* Betrayal @ The Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane 10th September 2010 – Live Review
* Crow “Arcane” – LP Review
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