Reviews list for Thornhill - Heroine (2022)

As the alt-metalcore fan I am, it's hard to confess that I've barely given this band a listen despite a good amount of fans of a similar style loving this, and it can be tough putting to words how much I feel about a band in which I enjoy a couple of their songs a lot but an album I'm about to review might not be as perfect as them, though a very close call. Those two songs from The Dark Pool that were in my Revolution playlists are crazy good, but now I'm taking on a different album from this band...

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.

First up, "The Hellfire Club" has a title that could remind some of either Stranger Things or that Edguy album. Yet the music in this track is cinematic alt-metal that can easily fit in a Hollywood film soundtrack. "Leather Vibes" continues that vibe with metalcore elements. Then we soar through "Blue Velvet" with moody melody and vocal insanity. The incredible "Arkangel" is a throwback into 90s nostalgia, especially with its grungy sound. The outro has good drumming.

"Valentine" is slow and seducing with low bass guitar and high falsetto vocals. All of those aspects occur alongside good drum effects. "Casanova" is more recognizable as metalcore, and that I really like. So upbeat and worth dancing/moshing to. The chorus buildup is incredible! You can also hear a fantastic switch from a classic metal guitar solo to djent bass riffing. After all that heaviness, we have a beautiful intermission in "Something Terrible Came with the Rain". It slowly builds up into the same cinematic vibe as before, from guitars to synths then strings.

"Hollywood" returns to the 90s grungy nostalgia, this time mixed with 21-century Hollywood-like epic trailer-ish orchestra and 80s synths. I guess you can think of this as Deftones with more emphasis on djenty metalcore. Plus there's a breakdown with classic-sounding guitar! How much more can you mix?! "Raw" has dirtier-sounding synth, fun for dirty dancing in the moshpit. The end is near with "Varsity Hearts", sounding like an emo-ish classic. Then the final title track has cool classic-sounding harmonics.

Heroine is kind of a drug, a more legal and musical one compared to heroin. It's filled with 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!

Favorites: "The Hellfire Club", "Blue Velvet", "Arkangel", "Casanova", "Hollywood", "Varsity Hearts"

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.

Best Songs: Leather Wings, Blue Velvet, Casanova, Hollywood, Heroine