She Must Burn are a six-piece English Extreme Metal group from London who I caught at Download Festival this year. They put on a great show and their style of music is very palatable to my ears, fusing the symphonic styles of Black Metal with the rhythmic bludgeoning intensity of Deathcore, everything about their sound was very digestible to someone who has listened to a lot of the two genres they unite. I'm not sure why it didn't come to mind sooner but early Abigail Williams would be a comparable force, however She Must Burn have time on their side, the years gone by have allowed them to draw from the better qualities of the once cliched Deathcore scene to their aid.
For a relatively small band the albums production is top quality. Their sound is stacked as layers of synth are wedged between octane rattling drums, raspy tonal screams and thick, dense and choppy guitars that rip pummeling grooves with a high noise gate with a Djent like tone and rhythm. They buzz and whirl away under cinematic strings and serine keys that play romantic, majestic melodies. The two work off one another, like the light and dark, often shifting onto the same path for climactic moments. The keyboardist chips in with female vocals to give the music a more melodic front, her technique very pop alike but the tone just right for something a little darker. It plays up the fantastic symphonic elements that illuminate the music. The lead vocalist has quite a range, from bludgeoning growls to shrill, coarse screams. As the record grows he expands with a character similar to Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon, the screams turn half shouted and the lyrics become a lot more self centered and social.
The songs play through the typical motions of dizzying riffs and frenetic blast beats that the keys give direction, structure and theme to. Without them I'm not sure quite how they would sound, even the most intense and impressive licks get their spark from the symphonic overtone. All these songs pack a lot into the mix, not relying on repetitive song structures and forging genuinely impressive music that shows nothing but promise for them moving forward.
Favorite Tracks: Possessed, The Misery
Rating: 6/10