ABANDON ALL HOPE: HELL//HOPELESS TWO-TRACK REVIEW
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
Tarntanya/Adelaide, South Australia Metalcore powerhouse Abandon All Hope have returned after hiatus with their Two-Track 'HELL//HOPELESS'. Abandon All Hope debuted with their album 'Where Life and Death Meet' in 2006, followed by 'Prowler' in 2011. Abandon All Hope have toured with an impressive list of heavy hitters including A Day To Remember, Underoath, Bleeding Through, Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying, The Ghost Inside, Thy Art Is Murder and Architects, as well as many others.
Abandon All Hope has recently had a change of line-up, so let's get into the new sound of the band.
On a bed of concrete under a burning fluorescent light, the cold clank of steel and that wretched smell, welcome to hell. Is he the cockroach’s reincarnation? or is that the fate that awaits him in his next life? First up we have 'HELL'. If you like Myspace Metalcore/Deathcore you are in for an absolute treat. I am going to kick off with Micah's vocals first. He has a dynamic voice, with impressive control, in many points sliding in and out of heavy screams into wails of anger and frustration, something reminiscent of Pray For Plagues Era Oli Sykes. Instrumentally you are met with a bombardment from Chris on the drums as he attempts to annihilate you with the unrelenting fervour of a man with a shovel and a body bag. For the string section, you will be dragged by your
ankle screaming through the chunky and menacingly whirring tones of the guitars. The overall tone of Hell gives the impression that the walls are closing in around you, with nowhere to escape, and no one to hear your cries for help. Mercy is a vice, the remedy is isolation, rope and an anchor point, swing you sinner, or dissect your arm with a mirror. Butcher this pig, consume what’s left, give me my pound of flesh.
A whisper of tense feeling, Growing and surging until it’s screaming, Heart beats in step with the music of meaning, A silhouette of a Demon weeping as peacefully as a killer dreaming, The walls are bleeding and shadows dance on the ceiling, Discourse on meaning with a man who isn’t there, And I’m fighting with a candle for the last breath of air.
'HOPELESS' urges you to fight through the despair of awful life experiences and to make your way out of the darkness and into the space where you bet on yourself. I am going to get a little spiritual for a second; to me, Hopeless is like the Tower card in Tarot, symbolizing chaos, and unavoidable and momentous change that comes with destroying and
rebuilding the very foundation of your life. Around the 30 second mark of Hopeless there is a layering of Micah's voice that hits like nothing else; sitting low in your chest and bringing in a level of discomfort, like the darkness is reaching it's peak and trying to beckon you to your end. As the track continues the chaos rises, forming a whirlwind of guitar and drums that will have you lost in your own mind, being bounced from side-to-side like a pushpit. Around minute 2.15 the tone of Hopeless shifts ever so slightly to something more hopeful and self assured. If this is where Abandon All Hope is beginning their story with their new lineup, I cannot wait to see where they are going. Solipsistic psychosis, a man must lose his fucking mind to recalibrate the
purpose of his worthless life. You can run fight or hide, but I chose to fight.
If you need help, or someone to talk to Lifeline is available 24 hours either to call on 13 11 14 or via text on 0477 13 11 14.
You can find Abandon All Hope on: Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.
For Fans Of: Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Architects and The Ghost Inside.
10/10
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