Montrose Alt-Rockers Late Landing release the perfect EP to rock out to.
Let me preface this by saying I love the metal that I love. Most of it is stuff I listen to when I was at high school, System of a Down, Rage, Deftones, etc. I love heavy music when I hear it live or recorded and have had some amazing nights in rock/metal clubs and venues and I even played drums in a hardcore band for a short while. But the subgenres don’t really mean anything to me. Just like with any music, including my own, I’m not really that interested in neatly categorising anything. Metal, though, seems to come with some important subgenres that I’m not fully aware of, or maybe that’s my naive perception. What I can say is, I love rocking out, and I’m going to introduce you to the perfect EP to do that to.
Darkest Days the new 3 track EP from Montrose alt-rock/alt-metal band Late Landing. This EP has everything you want from rock and metal bands, shredding, tapping, Hetfield-esque vocals, drops, breakdowns, riffs, growls, ominous dark lyrics and hard-hitting choruses. They immediately burst into a lip curling riff deep, dark and complete with syncopated drums in the title track. Theres an epic urgency and a pace that I bet is super impressive to see live. The song overall has a sort of Deftones vibe with riffs throughout and a huge and accessible chorus.
The second track, Grand Illusions, introduces some grudgey doom. You know that slower metal where the dudes at the front of the stage in sleeveless, denim, Iron Maiden jackets, rock their long sweaty hair in slomo. It lulls you into a false sense of security thinking this is gonna be a easy ride, just head bobbing at the side before the pit opens right in front of you and you’re forced to choose whether to run away to the back or just get right in there. Some of that model is present in the final track All At Once with some cinematic, jangly, melodic guitar before sudden jump-scares and your thrust into a build-up that never ends but burst into a face melting tappy solo. I genuinely said “PHWOAR!” out loud.
This is a really cool EP and I’m absolutely keeping an eye out for what they come up with next and I’ll hopefully catch them at a gig soon too.
