Unsung Hero – Esprit De Corps

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Hangman’s Joke Records
Produced by Gavin Monaghan

Another English five-piece make their debut with an EP on Hangman’s Joke. Claiming to mix classic rock, hardcore and emo into a new and unique sound, Unsung Hero are definitely trying something new.

Opener Refuse is bizarre. It starts with extreme vocals that, in the tradition of many non-unique extreme vocals, sound like boiled crap screaming in pain. That stops to make way for some disjointed melodies and drum rhythms reminiscent of something System of A Down might drop into before a chorus that matches neither of the previous styles. Very odd.

But what’s this? In Till The End starts like your average radio rock track (whiny and monotonous), descends momentarily into the above, then kicks through one hell of a chorus. That was unexpected! Great riff in there too. Hoping For Nothing mixes punk-pop sensibilities with distorted screaming to produce rather a mess of a song, while Smother mixes A Perfect Circle/Incubus ambient melodies with occasional distorted screams and monotone-singing. The clever riffs that come in later (not only on this track) show some Opeth/Porcupine Tree style progressive tendencies which I think should be explored much more.

The fifth, unlisted, track Fallen is the most coherent of the bunch. Even the extreme vocals work to the advantage of the overall song, with lots of time changes and more of those progressive riffs.

To me Unsung Hero sound like they’re trying to appeal to too many different factions of listeners, without actually doing well enough at any of them for much of the time. Their multi-directional approach only really comes together on Fallen. If they work on the melodic vocals side with their progressive leanings, they’ll be fine and will indeed work towards creating something new, passionate and unique. But for now, they’re trying to spread themselves too wide. Maybe they’re trying to be the next SOAD. Not something I’d particularly recommend from a musical standpoint.

Priced as a single it’s worth checking out, especially if you fancy a mix of many modern styles with some more than competent playing.

“ multi-directional ”

Tracklist: Refuse / In Till The End / Hoping For Nothing / Smother / Fallen

Written by Andy Lye
More: Alternative, EPs, Unsung Hero