AFTER SMOKE CLEARS – INTENTIONS ALBUM REVIEW

20th November 2024 0 By Quinccy

After Smoke Clears are a four-piece Metalcore band hailing from South London. Current member line up for the band includes Nick (Vocals), David (Drums), Kiran (Guitar) and Aaron (Bass).

“Intentions”, released November 19th, 2024 is the thought-provoking and emotionally inducing record released by After Smoke Clears. The release of Intentions comes following hot streak of singles in “Unintelligent“, “Animal” (featuring Stephen MacConville of Confessions of a Traitor), and “Serenity“. This eight-track LP is a rallying cry; a defiant and emotionally potent metalcore romp that yearns to be heard, and firmly cements AFTER SMOKE CLEARS‘ place as the kings of the UK underground (And you know me, I’m always here to support the upcoming Kings and Queens in our scenes, slay folks, SLAYYY!)

Highlighted tracks from the album for me, personally would have to be the opening track “Status Game ft. Damien Bigara“, “Fractured“, “Echoes” and “Daze“. The sound of these guys is dynamic, and hard-hitting yet at the same time boasts the right amount of aggression when it ‘feels right’ without feeling to overbearing. It’s a really good blend of genre elements that make a very unique sound but still touch down to what feels somewhat nostalgic to more modernized ‘hardcore’ vibes.

Overall, I’d rate this album 10/10. My reasoning behind this is that I find that it’s a great take a fusion of elements from hardcore and metalcore. I found it a very interesting listen and thoroughly enjoyed it. Listening to the majority of their breakdowns is like getting a hug from a honey badger —intense knowing it’s coming from something cute and something you want but ultimately exhilarating and making you cautiously aware of what is exactly happening in that moment in time.

The production quality of this album is superb and once again, as in my many articles did not make me cringe once throughout my time listening to the album. Anyone who has read my articles will understand that when a band submits something that does not give the vibes that it’s been recorded on an APF TV Fun (if this had recording capability) we’re already one step towards some positive feedback and at least a mediocre review.

Score 10/10