Releasedate: 22.05.2024

Another Now is a different player in the Dutch metalcore field and in the metalcore field in general. The band released their first album ‘OMNI’ in 2021, which landed them gigs with Asking Alexandria, Beartooth and Ice Nine Kills. Now, the band is back with their second full-length, ‘HEX’. Of course, we had to review it. Also this year, they are playing one of the biggest core festivals in the Benelux, Jera on Air, alongside Electric Callboy and Enter Shikari. And right before this review aird, we learned that they will be opening for Machine Head! Who is this band?

Another Now

Another Now is a metalcore band from Eindhoven. There must be something in the water in Eindhoven, ‘cause it seems every gem in the Dutch metal scene seems to emerge there. Another Now is definitely one of them. This band blends metalcore with electronic influences in the style of I Prevail and Crystal Lake. I’d rather label them electroniccore or trancecore because of that. They’ve been around since 2018 and released their first full-length in 2021. They have been teasing their latest release ‘HEX’ with the release of the singles Would it Kill You, Breathe, Smile and Doubt. The album, HEX, is 45 minutes of club-style metalcore, metal enough to get our heads banging, core enough to get in your crowdkills, and club enough to start jumping. 

HEX

HEX feels like the soundtrack to a game, but Another Now really isn’t playing. The lyrics are dark, talking about daily struggles. There are a couple of interlude tracks in between a number of stand-alone songs, to tie them together. The album opens with _VISIONS which, like everything on the album, is heavy on electronic influences. After a soft intro, we get all the elements that are featured on the album, from heavy breakdowns, tight drumlines, deep grunts, melodic vocal lines, and heavy emotions to piggy squeals. 

_VISIONS is the opening track, but it’s actually a prelude for DAYDREAMERS, the first real track of the album. After a short synth line, we dive headfirst into the heavy grunts and riffs. All the elements from _VISIONS are present in this track as well. The soft vocals in the pre-chorus parts fit the dream theme well, but the heavy breaks right after are a rude awakening. 

DOUBT turns up the intensity to eleven right from the start. It’s also a more groovy track, with a really catchy pre-chorus. I can see some bouncing action during a live show happening there. This track is maybe a bit more mainstream metalcore, at least the chorus is. Another Now show off their versatility with deep grunts and melodic vocal parts really well on this track.

just BREATHE

BREATHE is my favorite track of the album, and it has been since its release earlier this year. BREATHE is heavy on the electronics, and the samples and synths really add to the heavy party feel on this track. The chorus on this track has one of the best hooks on the album, and the toned-down chorus after the break is a really nice change of pace and another example of Another Now’s qualities. 

Onto the title track of the album, HEX. Another track that has been released prior to the album. After BREATHE, HEX feels a bit chaotic, and even a bit towards deathcore in some aspects. There are plenty of squeals, and the tempo goes through the roof on this track. The breakdown at the end is one of the best on this album as well.  

WOULD IT KILL YOU starts off with a synth line that seems to have been borrowed from the Mass Effect soundtrack. It doesn’t take long for the song to kick in after that, though. Another heavy track, similar to HEX, but with a commercial chorus like BREATHE again. A track like this will do well in a club as well, I imagine. DRIP is similar in that aspect, and it has some hip-hop influences as well. The groove in the verse is hard, but the chorus lets us know we’re still listening to the same album. This is a quieter song, even though there are enough breakdowns, this track would qualify as the ‘ballad’ of the album. 

And after a ballad, of course, is a happy song to lift us up again. SORRY definitely begins like that. This track has one of the strongest choruses of the album, and I imagine this being one of the favorite tracks for a lot of people because of it. For me personally, though it’s groovy, the verses feel a little too empty to me. 

Smile Back

SMILE! is another hard track, which fits the lyrics. With lines like “Death smiles at us, all we can do is smile back” it makes you wonder about the inspiration for this track. THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING features almost Polyphia-like dreamy guitars in the soft break in the middle, only to kick right back into heavy metalcore again. Again, a very catchy chorus; it seems to be a standard on this album. 

Just when you thought we’ve had the ballad with SORRY, we get to MIRAGE, which is even slower, more emotional, and has heavy lyrics like ‘we’re just a mirage of, what we used to be’. It’s more an electronic vibe than a metalcore song, however, the reprise of the track at the end still brings all the vibes. The perfect lead for the final track of the album, another banger, HORIZONS_. Even though I haven’t read all the lyrics for this album, it feels like HORIZIONS_ completes a story. Not just because of the closing underscore that _VISIONS opened with; the song itself feels like the completion of a story. 

Final Thoughts

HEX is a solid and coherent album, that feels like one big trip. My favorite track of the album, and has been since its release, is BREATHE. But there are plenty of other bangers on this album. And even the two tracks that are a bit more on the softer side won’t let you down. It is, however, a very unique niche of metalcore, and probably not just in the Netherlands. It might speak to a broader audience, but the people who dislike the crossover genres will probably have a hard time getting into this album. However, Another Now might be a gateway metal band for people who still don’t know if metal is something they’d enjoy. Just listen to BREATHE, and you probably will for sure. 

Tracklisting:

1. _VISIONS
2. DAYDREAMERS
3. DOUBT
4. leaving
5. BREATHE.
6. HEX
7. we will be more careful next time
8. WOULD IT KILL YOU?
9. DRIP
10. SORRY
11. 290332
12. SMILE!
13. THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING
14. MIRAGE
15. HORIZONS_

You can find Another Now on their website. 

Check out the full album here: 

And be sure to check out the videos on Youtube! 

Releasedate: 18-05-2024

Loyalty Ends Here is a name that has been hard to miss in the Dutch metal scene this year. Last year they were the winners of the Wacken Metal Battle with just one track to their name, and since then, they have been all over the place. Gigs, festivals, new music, even a video. These guys have been working hard. The crown to all their hard work is released on the 18th of May with their debut EP ‘Darkest Red’. 

Loyalty Ends Here

Loyalty Ends Here is a 5-headed metalcore band from the Netherlands. They make melodic metalcore from the early years of the genre. Bands like Trivium, As I Lay Dying and Lamb of God have been inspirations for their music, so you know it’s going to be melodic, hard, technical, and loud. Where a lot of other metalcore bands focus on breakdowns, Loyalty Ends Here is more focused on interesting riffs. 

Their band name ‘Loyalty Ends Here’ is reflected in their lyrics as well, with lyrics about loyalty and betrayal. As with most bands, their lyrics are about the complexity of relationships, with Deadweight as a clear example. 

Three new tracks

Darkest Red consists of three brand-new tracks and two previously released singles. The EP opens with a new track, Sea of Harlots. The main riff somehow really reminds me of Trivium’s ‘Watch the World Burn’ and even though Richie’s vocals are completely different to Matt Heafy’s, it’s easy to see where they draw their inspiration from. The track starts with the same fade-in Testament opened with, and a similar mainriff. It also ties in nicely with the other track we’ve heard before, Deadweight. For people that have heard Testament it’s nice to have some recognition, for the new listeners: welcome to Loyalty Ends Here. 

This is a moshpit party track, so the party starts right away with these guys. The quality of the mix is really high, and sounds like these guys definitely should be playing at those bigger festivals. The emotional lyrics that I liked so much in Deadweight come through at the end of the track as well. And while it’s a bit harder to learn the lyrics, I can imagine people screaming the chorus once they know what to shout. 

Deadweight

The EP continues with Deadweight. It was the second track the band released, and it was accompanied by a fan-filled video. A good way to engage your fans at an early stage, and the result was an energetic, inspiring video. Richy has a bit more melodie in his vocals on this track, the track however is less riff-filled than Sea of Harlots. That’s on purpose since the whole track is working towards the great guitar riff in the middle of the track. That build-up is portrayed in the video nicely as well by the way. 

Medicate me for Silence

Medicate Me for Silence is probably the hardest track on the EP, and the only one that doesn’t start with a fade-in. It starts out strong with Richie screaming his lungs out with ‘I’m losing my god-damn fucking mind’.  The moment he shouts ‘hurricane’ is the moment the song really starts. This track is the fastest and the hardest on the EP. The guitar parts on this track are less riff-heavy, and more Lamb as God-style groovy, which is definitely a nice change. In terms of crowd-pleasers, this is probably the wall-of-death track. The chorus still shows similarities with Deadweight and Sea of Harlots, but it’s only vaguely reminiscent. 

Darkest Red

On to the title track Darkest Red. Of course, it starts with another fade-in and another similar riff. Loyalty Ends Here manages to keep things consistent, and they definitely found their own style. It would have been a good track to end the EP with since it feels like a summary of the EP with similar guitar riffs and a similar vibe to the rest of the songs. New in this track the slower break in the middle of the track and the stutter effect over the vocals in that part. With the “Cyanide” part we are bound to have some crowd interaction, and again, the chorus is easy to sing along to.  Music is therapy for a lot of people, and especially metalheads. This whole EP, but mainly this track, will serve that purpose well.

Testament

We first got to know Loyalty Ends Here through their track Testament, so it’s only fitting to end their debut EP with this track. Testament was released before they entered the Metal Battle competition last year and has been a banger from the start. With the recognizable guitar riffs and the strong vocals (“This is my Tes…. Ta….Ment’) it’s easy to listen to and shout along. The fade-in at the start feels a bit redundant at this point, however. The band has cleary evolved since releasing this track; the newer tracks feel a lot faster and heavier than Testament. However, Menno deserves a shout-out for the heavy drum parts in this track.  After the break at the end, the “like roses’ is again a nice crowd-interaction moment. And of course, the final line ‘I’ve think I’ve had enough’ is a great ending to The Darkest Red.

Final Thoughts

Darkest Red is exactly what we would expect from Loyalty Ends Here. They’ve continued to evolve since Testament and their newest tracks are complex but very commercial. I mean that in a good way; this entire EP is filled with bangers, and Loyalty Ends Here proves that they are ready for the bigger stages with both the quality of the tracks and the production. That makes it hard for me to choose a favorite track on this EP. Deadweight is still a favorite because of the epic riff, however, the new tracks Sea of Harlots and Medicate Me for Silence are good contenders as well. With just a little of 20 minutes in total, there is no need to pick favorites though, you can just listen to the whole thing in your lunch break.

Tracklist:

Sea of Harlots
Deadweight
Medicate me for Silence
Darkest Red
Testament

You can find Loyalty Ends Here on their website and in our database.