Album Review: Annisokay – Aurora (Arising Empire)

German metalcore quartet Annisokay release their fifth studio album Aurora on the 29th January 2021 via Arising Empire.

Aurora sees Annisokay reinventing themselves, welcoming new frontman and heavy vocalist Rudi Schwarzer – a long-time friend of the band – who stepped into the role in late 2019.

Love it or hate, metalcore is still as popular as ever and while many bands like to avoid calling themselves that outright, they should probably be a little more confident when they’re doing it well. Which is very much the case with Annisokay and their brand-new album, Aurora. A (very much) metalcore album that isn’t controlled or dominated by the many clichés you might expect even if they are present.

Stuff like breakdowns galore, aggressive riffing, layered electronica effects, a blend of clean and hostile vocals, massive choruses and a ton of metal catchiness. It’s all here but Annisokay are nailing it to such an extent that it sounds mostly fresh and interesting again.

Tracks like STFU, Face the Facts, Cocaines Got Your Tongue, The Blame Game and Terminal Velocity absolutely slay. There’s frantic energy, passionate displays of instrumentation, mellow moments that touch the soul, blasts of brutality and top shelf vocals all round. If there’s only a handful you check out, make it anyone of those.

However, it’s not so easy to get along with the bland overuse of electronica that makes The Tragedy a bit of a chore to get through. Or the overly melodramatic style of Overload and uninspired heaviness of I Saw What You Did. These three could easily have been cut, especially when you consider the album is 13 tracks long.

It’s more killer than filler though overall. The padding can be comfortably ignored because for the most part Annisokay have delivered a thumping metalcore record to stand up proudly as the leader in 2021. Will it still be there come the end of the year? Time will tell.

Annisokay – Aurora Full Track Listing:

1. Like A Parasite
2. STFU
3. The Tragedy
4. Face the Facts
5. Overload
6. Bonfire of The Millennials
7. Cocaines Got Your Tongue
8. Under Your Tattoos
9. The Blame Game
10. I Saw What You Did
11. Standing Still
12. Friend Or Enemy
13. Terminal Velocity

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