Entheos have been slowly yet effectively evolving their sound with every new release. Anyone who heard their compelling 2024 EP, An End To Everything, will know what I'm talking about. This snapshot of a release showcased both where the band were and where they wanted to go. Balancing their trademark ferocity and technicality with more melodic and palatable elements. None of it felt forced or crowbarred—the whole EP was a natural progression and left you craving more of the same.
New full length Empty on the Inside picks up the baton perfectly where that EP left us two years ago, and thankfully has the courage to take things even further. There are huge nods to 90’s rock and metal running through this record, and I can hear varied influences ranging from the likes of Skinlab, Pist.On, NIN and Slipknot to Skunk Anansie. The choruses on this album are soaring, captivating and beyond infectious. It’s incredibly likely you'll be humming some of these bangers in your sleep without even realising they had creeped into your subconscious. Chaney Crabb's vocal range is already the stuff of legend (and social media notoriety), so it’s no surprise that she reinforces her reputation here. The visceral screams are still there in abundance, and if anything they are sounding more unhinged than ever (“Hollow” is akin to being attacked with battery acid), but the range on her clean vocals is now truly remarkable.
Opener “Hell Is A Part of Me” is probably my favourite track on the whole album as it perfectly melds everything that Entheos are good at into one pulsating morsel. Blast beats (Navene still knows how to let rip), blood curdling screams, huge riffs and gloriously decadent melodies. It’s a hell of a way to kick things off. Lead single, “Golden Crown”, is also an absolute triumph and apparently a song the band have been playing with since 2020. The intro really leans into that 90’s theme, with sparse yet eerie guitar being backed up by a marching bass line and Crabb’s angelic whispers. However, it doesn’t take long for the mask to slip, the distortion kicks in and everything cracks open like the Ark in Indiana Jones. Yes, this is verse/chorus/verse songwriting, but it’s all done so ridiculously well you won’t even care.
There are some tracks that don't land all their punches, with industrial pop number “Undone” and outright ballad "Never Let Me Go" falling slightly flat when compared to the other ambitious offerings on the album. In fact I initially thought the second half of the album was lacking the energy of the opening salvo, but on repeated listens tracks like “Tomblight” and “Pale Faith” have their own unique qualities, it’s just that they are way more emotionally charged than some of the more aggressive beasts like “Hell Is A Part Of Me” or title track “Empty on the Inside”. This album probably won’t please every Entheos fan, but if you’ve been witnessing their ongoing metamorphosis from tech-death to alternative metal over the last decade or so, then this album not only delivers but just makes so much sense.