Reviewed by Oscar Hyde

The eternal bugbear of metalcore is the breakdown: far too often, bands resort to the half-time pounding, the chugga-chug, to pump up the listeners and get heads banging. That tactic works just fine live, but at home, with so many fewer decibels to make use of, it can only drain momentum from a song. For many hard music fans For Today are one of the best bands of the genre. But after four much praised albums they've now released this EP which with its four breakdowns spread across five songs rather loses its way. The strongest track here is the (breakdown-less) last, the acoustic "Fearless", understatedly powerful through its roughly-textured minor chords and raspy vocals. The rest of the songs are mixed bags, though the first two are less mixed. "From Zion"'s genuinely rousing chorus proclaims Jesus as the voice of liberation. "Crown of Thorns" is swamped by a breakdown barely a minute in, but redeems itself with a surprisingly non-cheesy spoken-word bridge and rollicking 6/8 outro. "Flesh and Blood" and "Open Heaven" both feature pumping melodic vocals and almost punk-like breakneck paces, but soon mire themselves in directionless riffs and, you guessed it, breakdowns. For Today definitely have the chops and ideas to excel but somehow this EP fails to ignite.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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