Trust Canada to come out of the traps with a tech band that I enjoy (they even have clean singing!). America’s noisy neighbors are always pinging noise rock and black metal out at an alarmingly productive rate, but modern melodic metalcore is not something I often associate with the country. The Parallel aren’t the metalcore I love or the metalcore I grew up with (totally different kettle) but instead play a vibrant version of the newest incarnation of the genre which, if I’m gonna be totally honest with you, is normally quite a bit shit. These Canadians and their debut EP are the exception that proves my rule.
Coming onto my radar in the last few weeks, The Parallel have given me some solace in a time when every second band I see are playing post-djent or are obviously out of their element trying to mix brutality with commercial value. The technical moments on new EP Embark are super widdly and there’s layer upon layer of guitar tracking going on, but this doesn’t phase me like it normally does. Instead I’m finding myself picking out the second and third guitar parts and enjoying their counteraction with the chug heavy rhythms.
Single “Pendulum” (it’s about time this word was removed from track and album titles) is bouncy motherfucker that hits the sweet spot between keeping things on track with great structure while still utilizing enough metal tricks and flicks to progress to it’s natural resting point. While only four relatively fleeting tracks into their career, these Toronto-ites know how to meld catchy hooks with low end abrasion and are systematically picking and choosing which elements of the current musical environment they want to employ in the future.
Embark is out tomorrow, October 9th, and you should go throw them some love over on Facebook. Still nowhere to actually pick up the release, as far as I can see, but maybe you’ll have better luck! Kudos to Subliminal Groove for continuing to throw bands at me that I find myself enjoying, contrary to my wretched taste in music.
-MM