December 2020 Feature Release - The Revolution Edition

It's now December which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We're really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don't be shy.

This month's feature release for The Revolution is the brand new self-titled E.P. from outrageously violent Californian metalcore outfit Sunami. I've been finding that I really have a soft spot for quality metalcore ever since I started creating the monthly playlists so I'm keen to see how I feel about one of this year's more highly regarded releases for the genre. It's not even ten minutes in duration too so there's no excuse for not giving this one a few spins.

https://metal.academy/releases/22909

Which one of you had me ending 2020 with a review of a beatdown album on your bingo cards? I think it is safe to say that this was not a comfortable experience for me, but I appreciated the effort. I got a lot of vibes from that new Gulch album, Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress while listening to this: very brief, but relentless hardcore that will absolutely slap in a live setting. But since I am a notorious melodic hardcore snob, not much about this record sticks in my head. I think my biggest problem with beatdown music is that there is not much substance involved in it, rather just an excuse to strain your neck from headbanging, and throwing down in a mosh pit. But I will admit that these breakdowns are hard as hell and far better than Gulch's last album. So if you're into this kind of thing, it can be a joyous ruckus. It just isn't for me that's all.

6/10

This release initially made me feel significant discomfort as it simply resides a long way outside of my comfort zone stylistically but repeat listens saw me becoming more at ease with Sunami's direction & I ended up quite liking it. Sunami combine some violent beatdown hardcore with the consistent use of heavily palm-muted, down-tuned & mid-paced slam death metal riffs & it works a treat if you're simply after some peak-time moshpit material with which to expend some energy & aggression. The vocals aren't amazing but they're suitably violent & remind me of a more agro Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) while the production is a touch stale despite being reasonably heavy. The short track lengths & overall duration of the release is a definite positive for someone like myself though & "Sunami" is definitely worth a listen for fans of Hatebreed, Knocked Loose & Bury Your Dead.

3.5/5

I'm a big fan of hardcore punk like Sick of it All and Minor Threat and the first Suicidal Tendencies album is one of my all-time favourites, so I quite enjoyed this - far better than almost any metalcore I've heard before. Benefits, as most hardcore-based releases do, from it's short runtime as that level of intensity is hard to maintain for extended periods. 3.5/5