Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Volumes - No Sleep (2014)

Volumes made it big with their 2011 debut Via which placed the band in the leading pack of the djentcore. Everything was going smoothly for the band, aside from the odd injury, personal tragedy, and concert that ended controversially. If fans were wondering when they would make a follow-up to that glorious beast of an offering, they finally got what they wanted after a 3-year wait. In the busy realms of the music industry, there's No Sleep!

The impact from the instrumentation and vocals has never withered. It continues to stay tight, sticking to their formula while making sure every song is different. Barley anything is weak! The progressiveness is maintained while sounding more melodic and emotional.

The Volumes you know steps in with the opening track "The Mixture", already launching into their typical guitar heaviness alongside newfound melody. "91367" keeps the aggression up without ever lighting up. "Erased" is the first turn into the melodic emotion the album would have. It sounds so beautiful, especially the outro that was sadly inexplicably cut from the re-release. Either way, it segues to the interlude "Better Half" which has nice soft ambience.

Highlight "Across the Red" is so epic and well-structured. It features Casey Sabol, one of Periphery's pre-debut ex-vocalists. The djenty rage returns in the vicious "Pistol Play". Then "Vahle" can get you hooked as a powerful underrated song with emotional lyrics in memory of someone the band knew who's last name was Vahle.

Things get more intense in "Neon Eyes". Then it cools down for another acoustic interlude, "Peace of Mind". A peaceful short composition before the grand finale... The anthemic "Up All Night" has some of the best strength this band has to offer. It's so d*mn heavy while shining in their melodic side within the leads, synths, and cleans. It's practically a sequel to the previous album's "Edge of the Earth"!

No Sleep is another Volumes album for any djentcore fan to try. They still have most of their strength from Via, with everything so deep and tight. It is an essential offering of modern metal and continues the band's path as an unstoppable force of djent!

Favorites: "The Mixture", "Erased", "Across the Red", "Vahle", "Up All Night"