BEARPIT - BLACKLIST

Metalcore is by definition energetic, hard and heavy. BEARPIT take this pre defined notion and turn it up to the “DANGER” setting. Blacklist is reminiscent of Machinehead , the brutal and slow building of the songs with Maximus Day’s grinding vocals makes this debut EP all kinds of head banging crazy. After seeing the EP played in full live I can honestly say i’ve never seen such precision and measured playing by such a small band. This EP carves out a huge piece of the music business that will belong to BEARPIT soon enough. Take note of their name because you won’t be able to pick up a copy of Rocksound without seeing them in there once this EP gains momentum.

This self produced gem is all the more impressive because of the DIY way in which it was created. I have rarely heard an EP produced to such a high standard , every sound is crisp and deliberate. When I first listened to this EP I thought i must have been listening to the wrong one , simply because I was astounded by the quality of the content, from the lyrics to the drum fills to how it was produced, this album is a technological masterstroke.

I have listened to this EP a fair few times since the guys sent it over and i'm stoked to see what the general public think of it , it's probably my favourite release of this year. I love ever single track and the only bad thing i can say against this album is that it isn't longer. This album is more than just 6 tracks, this album is the future of a band that will be huge , i can feel it in my bones ( as clichéd as that sounds).

Track 1: Eclipse

This track is an explosive start the the album , it starts off simple, no vocals for the first part of the song , but it builds to a lovely climax when Max joins in, this is one of my favourite tracks from the EP, it has some similarities to more recent machine head and trivium , but it’s faster paced and more complicated metalcore goodness. Kurt (Drummer) really makes this track for me, the drum fills make this already great piece into something spectacular. Kurt is an absolute beast but so are all the guys in BEARPIT , which is why i wasn't surprised by how beautiful this album is but it's still a refreshing surprise. This song is a testament to that. As first tracks go it's up there with You Are We off of While She Sleeps's You Are We.

Track 2: Hands That Feed

This track is a big change from track one, a change in pace and style. It’s a lot quicker and Max’s higher screams contrast with the lower tones of the bass and guitars. This track is a lot more proggy than track 1 and i can see this one causing mayhem once the crowds know it off by heart. This track is especially brutal, The band include some disjointed feeling riffs and some tones that should not work in the mix but they do. The end portion of this track is slow and heavy , as opposed to the sometimes faster paced sections of the song. You can feel the passion behind this song and the lyrics are spectacular as well, not just the standard metalcore song lyrics they have something else to them. Th e only other thing i can say about this is that there seems to be a bit loud in places , like there is a lot going on and it takes a few listens to interpret what is going on.

Track 3: Interlude

This track is an interesting interlude , especially after track 2 which is a very hard hitting tune. The first part of this song is a progressive cloudkicker-esque tune, light and floaty with clear toned guitar. The song then builds up to a lovely instrumental progressive tune, with the heavy guitar coming back in and layers of sound being added only to be stripped away to a light melody which sounds quite like a children’s music box in a horror movie. Creepy. This tune makes a good halfway point in the EP , the fact that it is instrumental makes for a refreshing break in the album , whilst it's an enjoyable listen it can be very intense at times and the break is welcome.

Track 4: Human

This song is the heaviest so far , and it contrasts so heavily with track 3 “Human” , where Human is slow and progressive , “Interlude” is a hard slamming groovy-djenty soup. It has a Trivium feel to it , a kind of “Gunshot to the head of trepidation” vibe only quicker and more proggy. This will be a favourite with fans and i’m honestly honoured to have been able to hear it before the general release because it gave me whiplash (I may have been enjoying it a tad too vigorously). This song feels complete , something that you can't say that often with DIY bands . It feels as though every note has been thought over and you can really see the difference the effort and consideration has mad to the over all sound.

Track 5: Breathe

This track has a lot of force behind it , it’s one that would blast from my car and probably blow up my speakers. You know how every bass player learns Hysteria by muse to prove how good they are? Well, the riffs from Breathe will be what aspiring metalcore guitarists will learn to show that they can shred. It’s reminiscent of Bring Me The Horizons first album, the crazy guitar , only this EP is produced to a very high standard and it is a lot less sloppy. This is probably my favourite track on the entire EP, and that is saying a lot because each track is outstanding. Around the 2 minute mark be prepared for some crazy drums and a lovely breakdown.

Track 6: A Fear Inside (Debut Single)

This track is probably the second heaviest on the EP , second only to Breathe, but it makes for a brilliant end to the record who you listen to it in full. The great thing about this song is that it makes a great stand along single but it also fits cohesively into the whole EP , It leaves you craving more which is exactly why i think it was released as a single. This song simply raises the bar for the DIY metalcore scene.I know you will have heard this song already but you can't really say how good it really is until you hear it in the natural progression of the album.

Overall the album is really a sweet release, considering its a DIY production its crazy good, but as is always the case with DIY it feels like it could be a tad more polished if produced professionally. Don't get me wrong, it's staggeringly good.

It is a rare and beautiful thing to find a band as dedicated to their careers as BEARPIT , and if at such an early stage they produce music of this calibre you can only guess at the absolute madness they will go on to make in the future. I don’t know about you guys but i’m more than excited for that. Blacklist is going to be one of the best releases from small bands in the UK this year. I give this album 8/10 Kegs with a pint for a chaser. Outstanding album from a group of outstanding musicians.