Leeds newcomers Caskets have already made their mark in alternative music. Whilst still a relatively new band to the scene, the quintet have come out all guns blazing with a big blend of crisp, atmospheric, post-hardcore and mellow melodics, presenting their unique take on the genre with such intensity and immediacy. The band’s flawless debut EP Ghost Like You packed a powerful punch, with crushing instrumentals, clean vocals and catchy, arena rock sized singalongs. Now, Caskets are now securing their place amongst the top tier of bands, who have this innate ability to amalgamate traditional heavy riffs and crushing guitars with something a little more experimental, with stunning atmospherics and orchestral elements allowing space for raw emotion and exposed vulnerability, something that bursts through on Caskets‘ colossal debut album Lost Souls.
Lost Souls starts with single The Only Ones. Soul crushing pain permeates the lyrics, as vocalist Matt Flood sings from the heart “I’m completely empty/I can’t take much more/But I’ll struggle through this/Til I rise or fall” in the song’s first verse, giving the five-piece a chance to look inwards at the lessons they now wish to impart through their emotional lyrics. Complementing the band’s mastery between the impactful choruses and the calm verses, Flood’s dynamic vocals conveys the personable energy Caskets are portraying on Lost Souls with the utmost confidence and conviction.
Lead single Glass Heart follows, a song that speaks about sanity and self-worth in the context of toxic relationships. From questioning sincerity to subconsciously second guessing yourself, Glass Heart puts us under the critical lens of a microscope, analysing our weaknesses, but recognising our strengths at the same time. Backed by big, anthemic choruses and shimmering atmospherics beneath the song’s surface, Glass Heart is melodic alternative rock at its finest.
Lost In Echoes is an open letter and life lesson to oneself, about the sinking feeling you get when a lack of self-worth makes you feel lost. “The more I fool myself/The more I feel it creeping in/I think I lost my mind again” sings Flood, covering up his true uncomfortable emotions, which are making him slip further and further into a state of self-consciousness and the loss of himself. Backed by futuristic atmospherics and racing instrumentals, reminiscent of the electronic driven rock made by Dayseeker and Siamese, Lost In Echoes let’s us all know not to lose ourselves beyond the point of no return.
Latest single Drowned In Emotion is beautifully big, simply stunning and an absolute album standout. Battering drums by James Lazenby, the three guitar combo attack in the breakdown by Benji Wilson, Craig Robinson and Chris McIntosh, alongside Flood’s soaring vocals ascend into an arena filling chorus “Falling through the cracks I’m frozen/Underneath the lights/Forever it ever builds/’Til I’m drowned in emotion,” giving this techy, melodic metalcore some ethereal lyrics that bursts into blazing colours.
Caskets’ debut album is setting out to further reinvent the expectations of metal and post-hardcore to varying degrees of success. The band’s unique take on the genre is turning heads, whether it be the big, energetic rock sized choruses on Hold Me Now to the darker tones of Hopes & Dreams. Caskets are coming out of the blocks in an attempt to rival the experimental heaviness of the mighty Architects, Bring Me The Horizon and Enter Shikari. Instead, the Leeds newcomers are curating cathartic anthems and commercial metalcore hard-hitters that try to compete, yet come crashing back down into Caskets’ own territory, on their stunner of a debut Lost Souls.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Glass Heart, Lost In Echoes, The Only Ones, Drowned In Emotion, Hopes & Dreams, Clarity
For Fans Of: Dayseeker, Holding Absence, Siamese
Written by: Katie Conway-Flood
