July 2022 Featured Album - The Gateway Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us 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.

The album we are serving up this month in the Gateway is the brand new project from Australia's Thornhill entitled Heroine. My first impressions of this record were surprisingly high and really want to give it another go. If you like the Deftones (or you don't), give it a listen and let us know what you think!

https://metal.academy/releases/37513

I meant to do a quick little album write up when this album came out, but it wasn't on the website at the time, and I had already moved on to that new album from The Chasm. So after another few listens here's my cliffnotes version of what I would have said:

So far in 2022, I've moved away from the high brow critic spheres and narrowed my new listening to styles/genres that I already have a vested interest in. One of those genres, obviously, is heavy metal and last month I cleared out my back catalogue of popular alternative and metalcore records that I skipped over in the first half of the year (Northlane, Bad Omens, Static Dress, etc.). But along came Thornhill who were getting much attention in critic spaces, but not so much in the mainstream. The can usually only mean one thing: Deftones.

I've been revisiting a lot of Deftones in recent weeks as well (White Pony review is coming soon). And yes, Heroine by Thornhill does emit many of the songwriting tropes that are iconic from the early 2000s era Deftones circa White Pony, as well as some more modern, popular releases like Koi no yokan and Diamond Eyes. But something about this record feels different; like a record that knows its source material down to its seams, but can build it back up with different materials and still have it fit. Djent-y breakdowns are popular at the moment, and this record does a solid job of not allowing them to feel slapdash or thrown in just for the sake of trendchasing. 

The album is really dreamy and lush and helped in large part by a production that does not favour one instrumental over the other. Lots of atmospheric music fails at being so when bands give prominence to one part over the rest giving it a jarring effect that snaps the listener right back to reality. But this album's real star? Vocalist Jacob Charlton. This vocal timbre is splendid. The way in which Charlton accents uncommon syllables and releases stanzas prematurely adds a layer of roughness to this record that Deftones albums just don't with Chino's clean delivery drowned out in reverb and other effects. It's almost reminiscent of Muse's Matt Bellamy, but with much better fundamentals beneath it.

This is a great album. The Deftones elements are great and hold the original source material to its purest form, but divergences are precise and not forced. This is a name that I look forward to keeping an ear open for years to come.

8/10

I really got into this one thanks Saxy. The production is massive & overthetop (in fact, there's a strong case for suggesting that it's actually a touch over-produced) which gives every element ample opportunity to contribute to some wonderfully glistening soundscapes that are filled out by the generous use of synthesizers. Vocalist Jacob Charlton may sound very familiar (see Chino Moreno from Deftones for a point of reference) but there can be no denying his talent. The consistent use of microphone distortion has been quite effective here too it has to be said. The rhythm section is unbelievably tight & every time they come together with hard-hitting djent stabs it raises the intensity a few notches. The guitar tone is crushingly heavy too & the instrumentalists perform their craft with the utmost precision. I think RYM have got the genre tagging just right for once because Thornhill seem to have taken that shoegazy Deftones althernative metal sound & added in a much stronger djent component, perhaps taking reference from bands like Loathe & Northlane in that regard. From what I can make out Thornhill used to be a Metalcore outfit but if that was the case then they've dropped that sound completely in favour of a more accessible approach that really should take them to a much wider audience of enthusiastic fans. I must admit that the quality does drop a bit over the second half of the album but I can't deny my enjoyment of what is a highly professional & classy effort from a band that seems to know their sound very well these days.

For fans of Deftones, Loathe & Northlane.

4/5

If you are into indie darlings like The Killers or Muse but wish they were a bit heavier then your wish may have been granted by Thornhill's Heroine. It starts off pleasantly enough but by the end of track three my attention was beginning to wander and I was quickly losing interest. It's not that it is a bad album, I'm sure it's very good at what it does, but it just doesn't chime with me on any level I'm afraid. My favourite track and the only one I really cared for was actually the quite sweet-sounding, short instrumental Something Terrible Came With the Rain. Like I said, not a bad record, just not anything I'm remotely interested in.

2.5/5

I did my review, here's its summary:

I've noticed what an easily different journey Thornhill has taken in this album. They've boarded a new concept in the style and lyrics, heading into alt-metal territory in a similar yet less industrial manner to Northlane. I've enjoyed the majority of Heroine without letting my expectations run wild. Many of the songs here have a more cinematic take on alt-metal, sometimes mixed with bits of djent and metalcore, and in a few songs, combined with 90s grungy nostalgia, all in inspiring poetry and sound! It would be boring for the band to stay with their original sound whether or not that's what fans want, so don't dismiss something that's different. Just listen and learn!

4.5/5.

Thornhill’s ability to replicate these Deftones-like structures landed in my rotation list at a perfect time, just as the UK basks in a heatwave of up to 40 degrees. This be lazy, hazy summer music for lazy, hazy summer days that incorporates just enough bite to remind the listener that even summer has teeth also.

Crooning vocals have a very limited place in metal, and they work well here, alternating between that nu-metal edginess and indie/alt influence. There are no bones about it, Thornhill know how to capture the less extreme side of my metal attention span, using a blend of chiming melodicism and jarring riffs to hold the earshot for almost the whole record. Whether it is the Portishead vibe of Valentine with its trip-hop beats or the drama-soaked instrumental of Something Terrible Came With the Rain, there is something different around each corner on Heroine.

Sections of songs on this album are driven by lurching riffs accompanied by rich melodies to give these slightly floundering moments real ethereal form. As such the true moments of absolute triumph on the record are the occasions when these juxtaposed elements combine with almost unexpected fluidity. The title track that closes the album is full of emotion in the vocals and instrumentation and boasts an arrangement that highlights layers for the listener to discover each time they listen.

Deftones worship? Probably to a point yeah, but there is so much more here if you take the time to pick away at the delicate skin and explore the innards of this glorious piece of alternative metal.

4.5/5

I've been listening to this album off and on for the past 2 months or so, since a coworker recommended it before it showed up here. I think I was a bit too harsh on it at first when I bantered back and forth with my coworker, immediately going to the canned analysis of "Wow this sure is a Deftones record!". After coming back to it here and there and letting it marinate for a bit, I agree that it's definitely more than just a Deftones case study, but I still couldn't get into it all that much. 

Thornhill leans into some of the more modern Indie/Alt Metal/Rock and Shoegazy tendencies that help to distinguish their style from their early 2000's influences. Their sound is a bit more playful and upbeat, coming off as a bit less aggressive than other similar styles. Their vocalist is less sultry than Deftones, but he still conveys a lot of passion with how soulful his varied range can sound. For some reason I view their style as a bit more mysterious sounding, although I can't quite explain what exactly that means. 

Overall I think "Casanova" is a prime example of how Thornhill's style is able to take influential source material and put their own direct spin on it. It's a great song through and through, although the ending is disappointing in my opinion. "Hollywood" is another highlight but the harsh vocals aren't used very well for my tastes. Other than that, "Raw" really isn't something that I enjoyed and after the creative instrumental interlude "Something Terrible Came With the Rain" the album kind of grinds to a halt for me. The final two songs didn't grip me in any way, so it ends on a pretty poor note. 

This is a weird one where I enjoy coming back to it for the first half, but then I just never get into it by the time the final few songs roll around. I can see why everyone's enjoying it and it's awesome to see this style make some waves thanks to a newer band, but I guess it just ain't for me. 

3/5