Chaos can be, and is a beautiful thing. Music that is entrenched in an unpredictability almost volatile is beloved by many. Indeed, the base level of metalcore is inhabited by bands who hold their erratic nature to their chests, as almost a badge of honour and for that, they are praised, revered and in many cases, deeply beloved.
For the last two years, Long Goodbye, a band who rose from the ashes of acts like the influential Bloodfury, have planted their flag as one of the most exciting acts in ‘core music in the UK today. A blend of On Broken Wings and Norma Jean, they’ve taken the scene by storm with their aggressive, scathing approach to the genre. This incendiary nature is spearheaded by vocalist Patrick Morton, who’s range of banshee shrieks and almost vomitous gutterals are to crowdkillers what cocaine is to people who work finance.
On their debut EP, they gave no quarter in their approach, sounding relatively fully formed from the off in their bewildering, whiplash inducing brand of sonic assault. Things haven’t so much undergone a full evolution here on to reconcile with death for the sake of a beautiful ending, more a refinement and a strengthening of elements. The guitars have gotten wilder and sharper, honed to prick your ears in an uncomfortable way while still pulling you into the chaos and the drums hit like wild gunfire whistling past your ears. On tracks like ‘fix the memory’ they channel previous track ‘autolosis’ but turn up insanity to eye popping levels. Much like Norma Jean, it’s awe-inspiring to hear the level of technical skill on display while simultaneously undergoing an aural assault akin to instruments being beaten to within an inch of their life.
Part of the experience comes from the atmosphere that’s created in the cacophony of squealing guitars and unsettling rhythms. The soundbites and sporadic melodies envelope you in a fog of unease, like watching your own nightmares unfold but you’re powerless to intervene. Even in moments of hope and lulling melody like the spectacular closer of ‘…for the sake of a beautiful ending’ you’re hit with some of the deepest, most guttural vocals on the record. It’s only later you’re hit with a streak of sunlight in perilous darkness as some haunting, rare clean vocals cut through and hit like a cold glass of water on a hot day. Fleeting though they may be, they leave an impression and as a closer, it’s up there with the best of modern times. Truly, there are no other bands that sound like this and you can imagine any who try will fall short.
Long Goodbye stand, alongside fellow northeners Killing Me Softly, at the forefront of the UK ‘core scene. Two sides of the same shining coin, their more esoteric and confusing moments balance perfectly alongside their peers heart on the sleeve, Jacob Bannon-esque poetry. More akin to Coalesce and Burnt By The Sun, they’ve drew more than a drop of blood in their pits in their short time as a band and long may that continue. Kids today will hear this and have the same sonic awakening as people did to “Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child” over twenty years ago and the cycle of finding beauty in broken glass discordance will continue.