Warrnambool raised hardcore band Entitlements are about to release their debut EP and Crtive have been given an exclusive copy. This has been one my hardest reviews to write because The Change in Me, just fucking works. It’s so hard to work out why but it just does.
Boundaries is the perfect opening track to this EP. The drums act as a soft blow getting you ready for the screams of Connor Bailey. His screams just sit in so harmoniously with the underlying sound of the song.
50 seconds in we begin to hear the sound of Chris Morrish who supplies us some incredible clean vocals, which only add yet another layer to this well built up track. The time ticks over to 2:11 and suddenly we’re unknowingly preparing for the screams of Jack Bergin (Void of Vision). Get ready to be banging your head for the rest of this brutal recording!
Leave Me Be brings in yet another feature artist with Hindsights Jack Nelligan and boy does it give this E.P. powerful diversity. This song takes a sadder turn from Boundaries in it’s lyric constructions, letting the band get out some built up self-pressure.
Spend time listening to the vocals and you’ll feel a personal connection begin to form with the band. Get ready for some deja-vu because this track has been building you up for the sad screams of Nelligan. His voice stays strong right until the end of this song and fades out with the perfect closure to Leave Me Be… “in my head”.
A Sense of Purpose. There’s just something about the etherial, dichotomous introduction that took hold of my ears and wouldn’t let go, it’s such a deep sound that follows on perfectly from Leave Me Be and the screams are exceptionally brutal. The first half of this track is a rollercoaster ride of excitement building up to the breakdown.
We’re given yet another perfectly pulled off scream before the spotlight changes to the rest of the band. The instrumental sound closing out on this track adds another appreciation for the Entitlements sound.
Entitlements released Alone in November and because of the amount of times I’ve listened to it since, means it instantly gets top spot on this EP. There’s something about the way “on this blank canvas of my life” is screamed, that gets me hooked every time. This song gives every member of the band time to shine, with nothing being overpowering.
As silence sinks in, I get a little sad knowing we’re coming to the end of this EP. Calloused Hands is nothing shy of the quality we’ve already seen. It’s a mellow sound to the previous four which works perfectly because it feels like the band are saying goodbye.
However, don’t expect to get to the end of this EP and easily turn it off.
Surely you weren’t expecting them to achieve this without one last breakdown? Good because it gets pretty fucking brutal in the middle of this one. The last little goodbye comes in at 3:18 and takes us out until the end.
Overall, Entitlements have done a terrific job of achieving so much in this EP. Their sound will literally have you hooked from start until finish with it being a perfect blend of music we could expect from Counterparts or Hundredth. I know I’ve implied it a ridiculous amount of times but the sound of Entitlements is something unique and powerful in a genre that finds itself drowning in solitary, mediocre and violent sounds.
Entitlements uplifts this sound and begins to reimagine it. Blending high and low sounds in a classic hardcore style they seem not so much as to have developed new techniques as incorporated the exceptional range of genres in heavy music into a more coherent and well-expressed form.
Even the name of this EP works well, The Change In Me is the superb title for this set of tracks, as all of them unveil something new about the band. What I love about Entitlements is the chemistry the band have built up. Every element in this EP connects in a perfect display of musical genius. The Change In Me seems to represent a metamorphosis for Entitlements, a spiritual and sonic upswing. Their tempo displays their flare, and soon enough The Change In Me may change the scene.