Trust Us We're Liars - Incrementum

Following Trust Us We’re Liars’ initial release, “Neophyte Vitae,” the band attracted a significant following. They’ve performed at various venues across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, sharing the stage with established acts such as Changing Tides and Resolve. With their latest album, Trust Us We’re Liars is now ready to take the spotlight by headlining their own show for the album release. Let’s explore the 41 minutes of new tracks presented by this Dutch metalcore band.

Trust us We’re Liars

Trust Us We’re Liars is a metalcore band from Delft. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; metalcore seems to be the flavor of the season. TUWL gives their unique spin to the genre, however. That’s also the beauty of metalcore; since it’s evolved from hardcore and extreme metal, there are rarely two bands that sound exactly the same. If you want to compare TUWL with another band, however, Amity Affliction might come to mind. Or, in comparison to a Dutch band, maybe Wake of Dawn. The band released their first EP ‘Neophyte Vitae’ in 2019 and has since then been working on stage performance and new music. The last few years seem to have taken a toll on the band, however, since the vocalist Ward is leaving the band after their album release party. Not to worry though, the band has already found a replacement. Safe to say we’ll be hearing more from this band.

About the album

The album opens with the Bluest Light, for which the band also released a video. This track had been released previously so I’ve heard this one quite a lot already. It’s a good opener for an album, with clean vocals, nice melodies, and some orchestration to complement the heavy guitar riffs. I had heard this track before, so the breakdown at the end wasn’t a surprise to me anymore, but it will be if you hear this track for the first time. That kind of abrupt ending seems to be somewhat of a theme, since the next song Suffer has an abrupt ending to the song as well.

Suffer takes the TUWL sound one step further though by mixing in fast blastbeats. The chorus on this track is a good example of why this band has a commercial sound. I don’t mean that in a bad way – it’s just easy to listen to, with a good hook. For a metal band to connect to a large audience, it’s good to have hooks that stick, and the chorus of Sufer definitely stays in your mind.

Sleep Silently was also released previously and while it opens hard and heavy, the chorus is clean and emotional again. Again, a very good hook, as the line Finally Sleep Silently is easy to shout along. Breakdowns are never far away though with this band, and again this track has plenty. Landslide feels like a rollercoaster and reminds me of the 00’s sound of POD. Maybe it’s because of the intro of the song, but it might also be the fast riff with the emotional growls from frontguy Ward. That’s only for the verse parts though, the chorus takes this track in a whole other direction.

Heavier and heavier

Forgive and Forget starts out a lot heavier, and slower, than the previous tracks. The build-up in the middle of this track and the following clean vocal part reminds me of Linking Park, so again we’re back to the 00’s sound. The djenty breaks and orchestration in the back make it sound very modern though. Again, the chorus for this track is very strong, with just the right chord progression and energy.

New Wind is one of my favorite tracks on this album. That’s because of the dissonant intro chords, that make it sound nice and dark. The screamy, raspy vocals match the energy of the guitars in the verse nicely. The chorus takes us back to the now familiar sound and again makes this otherwise quiet heavy song a lot more approachable. Then ending, however, is again a little too abrupt for my taste.

God’s Way continues the heavy path New Wind set us on and takes it a step further. The dark riffs and the almost desperate growls makes this definitely the darkest track on this album. It’s also the slowest breakdown we’ve heard so far (hello Djent).

Time for a break(down)

Anno Doloris isn’t really a track, it’s an instrumental filler. It’s beautiful though, and sounds like a moviescore. It’s an interlude for Years of Pain, which starts where Anno Doloris left off. Every album needs a ballad, and this is Trust Us We’re Liars’ interpretation of one. Of course, still filled with the necessary riffs, breakdowns, and growls. Especially because of the melodic orchestration and the theme that continues from Anno Doloris though, it’s the most melodic and emotional track from the album.

With Fake Empire we dive back into the previously created chaos. Right away we start with the heavy riffs again. For the most interesting part of this track however, you need to wait till a little over half, when the track first kicks into double tempo and then switches back to the breakdowns again.

The final track of the album is Lost in Forever and Trust Us We’re Liars decides to go out with a banger. Energy high from the get-go, and basically a summary of all the elements we heard in the previous tracks. The double vocals on the chorus really add another layer to this chorus. Can anything make that better? Yes, it can! The addition of Amy-May’s vocals takes this track to a whole other level and reminds me of the emo-core bands that used to be. A really nice way to end a worthy second release.

Final Verdict

Incrementum is a nicely balanced album for people who enjoy listening to metalcore. While that is still a rather broad genre, Trust Us We’re Liars combines all the necessary elements in tracks that are easy to listen too, while still interesting enough. Personal favorites would be Bluest Light and New Wind, but I can imagine a lot of people might pick Lost in Forever as a favorite as well. If you grew up with the 00’s metal- and emocore bands, you might recognize a lot of that in this album.