ALBUM REVIEW: COVE - A CONSCIOUS MOTION EP
Metalcore quintet Cove release their second EP ‘A Conscious Motion’.
British Metalcore outfit ‘Cove’ released their first single towards the end of 2016 and have been working non-stop ever since. In their short period of time together, the band have performed an impressive amount of shows including a recent tour supporting ‘Feed The Rhino’ and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. April will see ‘Cove’ embark on their first headline tour across the UK and this week marks the release of their second EP ‘A Conscious Motion’. In the end though, it doesn’t matter how much time and dedication a band puts into their work if the quality of music isn’t good enough. Luckily for the Kent based quintet, ‘Cove’ are bloody brilliant! In our previous review of their latest single Spirit Level wrote that “It is clear from the outset that ‘Cove’ have picked up a few tricks over the last few years.” but with the power of hindsight it is now clear that this was a massive understatement. The EP opens with sinister percussion and a low bass tone that is reminiscent of ‘Scissors’ from the debut ‘Slipknot’ record. The intro builds and builds, gradually sucking the listener in before blasting into a balls to the walls riff. Throughout the verses of ’Coincide:Collide’ Ben Shorton’s clean vocals soar over the slow guitar parts before launching into a franticly heavy chorus that will assure the listener that they aren’t going soft on them. Many recent metalcore bands have relied too heavily on the formula of clean verses and screamed chorus’s whilst losing any sense of originality and driving away listeners with overly polished production. This is something that ‘Cove’ manage to steer well clear of as the next song ‘Solis’ doesn’t stop for a single breath from start to finish. Insanely fast and heavy, the instrumentation is deceptively complex. None of the ferocity weakens when Shorton switches from harsh to clean vocals during the chorus.
Next track ‘All I Believe’ was released as the last single before the EP dropped and reviewed two weeks ago by Spirit Level. Incredibly diverse, throughout the three minute track ‘Cove’ take multiple twists and turns. It is obvious why this is the song that they chose to market the EP release as ‘Cove’ manage to summarise the entire essence of the bands sound within one single track. Just as you think you have an idea of what direction the rest of the EP will take, the band take a swift right turn with a slow and melancholic instrumental track ‘Host’. Featuring elements of electronics, ‘Host’ serves as an interesting insight into the directions that the band may take in the future. ‘Host’ is a useful bookmark and breathing stop before final track ‘Reflect:Resolve’ which dives headfirst into one of the heaviest riffs of the entire record. The production of ‘Reflect:Resolve’ is astounding as ‘Cove’ experiment with shifting dynamics, time signatures and false endings. Half way through, the song slows to a much more relaxed tempo and switches to clean vocals before a powerful fist pumping outro. The EP finishes with Charlie Smith’s bass playing guiding us home and the listener is left desperate for more.
A substantial improvement on an already well crafted band. ‘Cove’ have set themselves high ambitions for the future and it is difficult to argue why they couldn’t achieve them. This is a very exciting band and definitely a group to keep an eye on ahead of their much anticipated full length debut.
8/10
Personal Highlight: Final track ‘Reflect:Resolve’ goes through multiple styles and sounds that most metalcore bands wouldn’t dare risk. Eager to set themselves apart as their own separate entity ‘Cove’ have succeeded in creating their own signature sound by their second EP leaving endless possibilities for where they may go next.
