July 2024 Featured Release - The Gateway Edition

Well, well, well would you look at the time! It's a new month and I actually remembered to submit my featured release for the month!

This month's feature is a brand new, debut LP from Australian alternative metal band Reliqa, titled Secrets of the Future. Nu metal gets a bad reputation for very good reasons, but I believe that Reliqa have put together a very good modern take on the genre and I hope that you guys will give it a listen.

https://metal.academy/releases/52416

Revisiting this album after hearing that god awful HARDY album Quit!! exemplifies why I enjoyed it in the first place.

Nu metal is notorious for not having any substance beyond edgy teenagers whining and getting angry at the most trivial of issues. These are not inherently bad, but without anything closely resembling a melody or instrumental motifs make them insufferably one dimensional. Reliqa are doing nu metal sure, but instrumentally, Secrets of the Future is very dense, unique and above all, interesting. The lyrics and music play off of one another in a very progressive manner, while retaining the shorter song structures to allow for more mainstream accessibility. 

Overall, the blend of styles here are exceptional. Reliqa show a lot of potential at making modern nu metal that is not dated or cringe. If you don't like nu metal because of this, I recommend giving this a try. It might not be for you, but it is a very different style of nu metal than you're used to.

8/10