genres: post-hardcore + modern rock
Eyes Set To Kill are one of the bigger ‘what if’ bands in the 2000/10s metalcore scene. They never quite had the breakout in popularity they should’ve, yet nearly everyone aware of the scene at the time knew who they were. They certainly had successful, well received songs and moments, but just could never quite capture the momentum. It’s fitting that just as female fronted -core bands are ascending to mainstream popularity, Eyes Set To Kill should come back and (hopefully) finally make the splash they deserve. DAMNA presents yet another stylistic change for the group that started in a vein of adventurous emo/metalcore similar to Underoath, then later transitioned to straight up hard rock with Masks. This album attempts to combine that more recent rock sound with a more modern, poppy take on post-hardcore. Although it cuts back on the heaviness even further, the band also shows off their technical musicianship here more clearly than on anything after their first couple releases. Their songwriting has also matured to the point where relative simplicity sounds elegant and creates catchy moments rather than sounding boring and uninspired. Though it could lazily be grouped alongside Dream State (or Rivals, or Against The Current, etc.), their version of pop-influenced post-hardcore (or is it post-hardcore influenced pop?) retains a certain level of grungy swagger that makes it distinct. Personally, I wish we had gotten some truly heavy moments on this EP, but given the limited space, it’s understandable they opted for consistent accessibility instead.
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