Metalcore bands seem like a dime a dozen these days; every young band out there is playing the same drop C guitars and the same crash cymbal-heavy drum beats. However, Like Monroe are not like those bands. In their new album, Things We Think But Never Speak, the members of Like Monroe explore their metal and hard rock roots, all while expanding their sound and breaking genres.
Things We Think But Never Speak starts out with a short EDM-influenced intro, but kicks immediately after into the chaotic “Roswell,” which sets up all of the album’s subsequent musical influences: metalcore verses with heavy kick drum syncopation and pitch bend guitars, a melody-driven synth-based pre-chorus, a chorus led by soaring clean vocals, and a bridge including both a breakdown and an acoustic section. The album continues on with the idea of genre-busting songs, including “The Hills,” which sounds like A Day To Remember’s “Mr. Highway,” and “Changing Lanes,” which could easily be heard on 30 Seconds To Mars’ last album. One of the more prominent songs on the album is “Circle The Drain,” a hard rock track that questions the motives of religion, as well as those who subscribe to it. It also manages to have industrial influences in its use of beats created by atonal, distorted sound bites.
While some may think the album’s energy steadily decreases as the songs go on, it’s actually more of a transition from loud and abrasive to calm and melodic. From metalcore to post-hardcore, raw screams to soulful singing, or shapeless chaos to structured verse-chorus form, Like Monroe manage to explore their roots, perfect their sound, and navigate the star system that is musical expression.
In A Word: Original
