Locotus ‘Through Flames Arise’
Album Review By Adam McCann
Independent Release/2018/Metalcore
Over the previous fifteen years, offerings from Locotus have been sporadic at best. However, last year, the Australian band managed to sneak out their latest EP ‘Through Flames Arise’ to as expected, a rather quiet response.
So, what does ‘Through Flames Arise’ actually consist of? Well, for those already familiar with the Locotus sound, they will not be disappointed with this EP. ‘Through…’ manages to rattle the speakers with its pounding metalcore grooves and aggressive breakdowns as vocalist Chris Fowler guides the listener through the EP with his growls. These growls particularly stand out during the songs ‘Untrue’ and the title track; the latter of which even has a touch of Sepultura, but the music here would appeal to fans of Chimaira, Machine Head and Killswitch Engage. Yet, with this EP, clocking in at just over 20 minutes, there just isn’t enough of it; the EP sadly runs out of time just as it is starting to get enjoyable and this leaves the listener baying for more. However, the inclusion of the elongated soundscape ‘Psyke’ is a little odd, it certainly does not bring anything to the album and after a few listens, it goes from being irrelevant to actually quite annoying. Yet, this irritancy is overshowed hugely by the quality from the other four tracks on the EP.
Locotus have released an EP which is thoroughly enjoyable. Hopefully, ‘Through…’ is just a stop gap in the bands history and if the quality of writing on this EP is anything to go by, then a full-studio album would be most enjoyable.
Rating :64/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
