Anterior - Echoes of the Fallen

 Proving that metalcore is still thriving, Tredegar quintet Anterior return with their second release, Echoes of the Fallen and it is pretty epic. Pretty epic indeed.
 The album presents listeners with ten tracks of awesome metalcore, a prospect that many may find disparaging due to a common hatred of metalcore, something that has become a cliché in the ways of being a true metalhead. It's also disparaging due to the fact that a lot of newer metalcore albums being released are sounding uninventive, sloppy and generally rehashed. However, if this is your main complaint, you need not worry as Echoes of the Fallen is a triumphant metalcore sound bursting with energy and passion, wether it be in the power metal inspired uplifting sounding To Live Not Remain or in the thrashcore inflicted belter that is The Evangelist. 
 Obviously, many metalcore techniques are present. Breakdowns don't exactly act inconspicuous and the songs are played in an emotional heartfelt fashion that is ever present in the likes of Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying, but Anterior perform these in a way that is a million miles away from what could be considered "rehashing". Breakdowns are teeth rattlingly brutal and unlike some newer metalcore bands, the emotional elements of the album are extremely genuine. Also vocalist Luke Davies actually has his mind set on which vocals to use, rather than the constant metalcore use of screamed vocals in verses, then melodic in the chorus and choosing to make full use of his guttural growling.
 All this makes Echoes of the Fallen a really enjoyable metalcore album. It's well made, energetic, brutal and much more genuine than other counterparts of the genre. A must have for fans of the genre.