Genre : Metalcore, Thall
Released : April 15th, 2022
Label : Self-released
FFO : Thornhill, Humanity's Last Breath, Landmvrks, Atlas, Vildhjarta
Grayscale Season caught my attention earlier this year when I saw both Buster Odeholm and Calle Thomer from Vildhjarta & Humanity's Last Breath promote them on their socials due to their involvement in the band's newest album, "Do You Like Violence".
I'm a sucker for Buster's signature style of production as well as his and Calle's approach to riff writing, so it was a no-brainer for me to check out what Grayscale Season had to offer.
And what they offer is some damn good metalcore that manages to find a great balance between being crushingly heavy and melodically vulnerable.
Massive riffs sprinkled with some thall influence, buffed up by Buster's production along with gnarly yells and growls collide with sleek electronic passages and crooning vocals to convey emotional distress in a way that is as delicate as it can be ruthlessly harsh.
There are a few things though that I am not fully on board with on this (almost) hour long journey of musical and emotional contrasts; mainly the clean vocals that can feel a little unrefined and uncontrolled at times, along with the occasionally cringe-inducing lyrics and choices of vocal melodic arrangements.
I see the intention behind those choices but right now they kind of feel a bit too rough around the edges.
Aside from those things, "Do You Like Violence" gives a generally convincing depiction of the many different shades of violence love can induce during and after a relationship, as well as the many back and forths across the emotional spectrum that can occur in its aftermath.
The same thing could be said about the band going back and forth between their different influences and stylistical choices for the duration of the album, which makes "Do You Like Violence" a varied experience that captures and holds the listener's attention due to its many moods and textures, in spite of a few awkward shortcomings.
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