EP Review: Alienist – Love/Hate (UNFD)

Love and hate; a dichotomy as old as time, and it’s this agitated balance of two cohesive yet opposing forces that ultimately strikes at the sharpened core of the upcoming debut EP from Alienist. Thematically traversing themes of religion, self-doubt, relationship struggles and mental health, Love/Hate will be released on March 1st, 2024, via UNFD.

It’s an incredible feat to have this EP have such impact in such a short amount of time, but that’s Alienist for you. A modern hardcore/metalcore band with a lot to say and the writing abilities to express it emphatically. All while being undeniably infectious. Something that is acutely present on the opening banger, Godless. Unsurprisingly, it finds Alienist tackling religious ideals in their own way, balancing moving melodies and aggressive intensity well.

It is the bar setter, but the bar is continually raised across this EP. Take the following Distorted Reflections, a track that goes so f**king hard as it finds the band in a ferocious mood. The instruments sear through the brain matter, and the vocals hammer nails in.

Then there is the stompy purpose of Absent, a track that speaks about the breakdown of love, and features an immense amount of passion from this band. Before the instrumental extravagance and soaring chorus of Hypnotise continues to show the modern approach to the metalcore that Alienist has.

This truly is an EP that delivers a ton of memorable variety, pointed and sharp, but with deep veins of melody. The intensity kept up right to the end with Prisoner of You. One of the nastiest sounding efforts of all as it sees Alienist go all in on spitting fire when it comes to toxic relationships. It’s beastly, but so is the entire EP. Alienist make damn good music, and their passion for what they do always comes through strongly.

Alienist – Love/Hate Track Listing:

1. Godless
2. Distorted Reflections
3. Absent
4. Hypnotise
5. Prisoner Of You

Links

Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | UNFD