Genre : Progressive metalcore, Shoegaze, Alternative metal
Released : June 3rd, 2022
Label : UNFD
FFO : Deftones, Loathe, Sleep Token, Muse, Northlane
I remember listening to 2019's "The Dark Pool" and enjoying it but for whatever reason I never really revisited it. But when I heard Thornhill were making waves with their latest, heavily Deftones-inspired record, I knew I had to refamiliarize myself with the Australian quintet.
I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way immediately by saying that yes, this album does share many, many similarities with Deftones and Loathe in terms of style and the sound they went for on here.
Sometimes a little too much for its own good even, for my personal liking at least since I feel like it takes me out of the album's experience here and there.
Now, that isn't to say that it's solely a bad thing.
"Heroine" has a coolness about it that easily wraps you in its suave, sensual and dynamic universe.
The balance between softness and aggression is utilized to great effect in order to give the whole album its defining swagger and everything for the most part sounds lush and dreamy or urgent and chunky when it needs to be.
All of this makes "Heroine" a very dramatic and cinematic record focusing on matters of the heart and their complicated, often times painful, nature with a youthful, "teen-movie" lens on the subject.
I was a bit surprised to see some of the main heavy music publications describe this album as being something completely novel or it being a big risk for the band since to me personally, although it's very obviously their own approach to it, this type of sound isn't exactly groundbreaking as of today and if anything, "Heroine" feels like a natural continuation of their progressive metalcore infused with smooth, catchy (poppy even) vocals.
Overall though, "Heroine" is definitely a very enjoyable listen and is one of the metalcore stand-outs of this year without a doubt.
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