To The Grave - Everyone’s A Murderer (Album Review)
To The Grave - Everyone’s A Murderer
Released: August 30th, 2024
Lineup:
Dane Evans // Vocals
Jack Simoni // Guitars & Programming
Matt Clarke // Bass and Vocals
Nic Webb // Guitar and Vocals
Rangi Barnes // Drums
Online
With ferocity, barbarism, and unapologetic activism, To The Grave has made a name for themselves, and better yet, given a name to the nameless in their vigorous endeavours to bring vegan voices to the forefront. Charged up to perhaps their most relentless stature yet, To The Grave has swiftly prepared to drop their third studio album, Everyone’s A Murderer. Following the success of their brutal past album, Director’s Cuts, the band has not merely solidified their identity and doubled down on their morals, but have extended their sound, creating a new signature that is trademarked by creative freedoms, personality integrity, and the liberation of genre exploration.
The album begins powerfully, in the form of ‘Set Yourself On Fire (In Public)’. The tone of the song matches the equally abrupt and grotesque visuals that are conjured from this title, beginning with a haunting soundscape that lingers. A buzzing and echoey space’s silence is sliced by an almost old-timey horror movie narration. Unsettling and unnerving, the chilling and consuming noises are interrupted by an eruption of heavily layered drums, with the signature fast kick drum a prominent underlier. Without warning, Dane Evans enters the recording with a gnarly squeal that raises the chaos levels to one hundred. Only mere minutes into the album, and all the stops are being pulled out. Dane’s vocal dynamics and prowess are shining, swiftly chopping and changing between full gutturals, to high-pitched squeals- both of which hold a smoothness. The choruses see these sounds also mixing with an anthemic vocal style, making for a layering that is inviting, and adds a new layer to the table that is really quite intoxicating. Attention-grabbing and positively overflowing with new skills and developed sound, this track is a killer start.
It is easy enough to claim deathcore as angry sounding, and thus, presents itself as a useful scapegoat to claim one’s music as angsty and profoundly driven. However, To The Grave has never fallen into this approach, instead, each of their songs is lathered in authenticity and feeling. And ‘DxE or Die’ is perhaps the pinnacle of this phenomenon. In a feat of pure rage, Evans bellows raw anger into the microphone, an energy not merely matched, but elucidated by the heavy, chugging guitars. In a flurry of notes of animal equality and a severe case of misanthropy, a call out lingers; “To The Grave Motherfucker!” This is not merely a declaration of war, but has swiftly become To The Grave’s anthem. A short yet striking encapsulation of who they are, the passion that seeps from their skin, and the propelment of their ethos as the paramount message to spread.
Continuing the themes of justice and inequality, the aptly titled ‘Body For A Body’ follows. With faint sirens dwindling out to incredibly fast and heavy drums and guitar, for a moment, the track is dominated by pure, unfiltered noise. Only as Evan’s utters is the jarringness cut through. Despite the grotesqueness, this offering is presented in a really approachable way, housing perhaps some of the band’s most catchy and hooking verses to date. The duality between the vocals, of course acknowledging Connor Dickson (No Life) and Siantelle Johns (Identity Error), brings so much to the table. A mixture of gruesomeness, gnarliness, and at times, an almost sketchy and slimy vocal performance. What stands out the most in this, is its conclusion, with ‘Body For A Body’ presenting itself almost like an epic, finishing with a grand finale in which its scope widens and consumes. It sees To The Grave at their most powerful, confident, and assured, with these fading-out instrumental choices ruling this saga.
It should be noted this spectacle may be witnessed in a live setting when TTG hit the stage at their hometown release shows this weekend; notably in Melbourne with both No Life and Identity Error appearing on the lineup.
The most recent single follows in the form of ‘Burn Your Local Butcher’. One of my favourite things about To The Grave is their theatricalness and extensive-expression- moments of drama that are found in the most subdued moments. For me, it is found within their clever and informed use of slight background noises, whether it be a fire crackling or a chainsaw. Lightly heard, these moments add monumental mountains of depth to the story at hand, and assist the storytelling, honing into these feats of auditory imagery to encapture the listener beyond their living room or the train, but in an abattoir or butchery. ‘Burn Your Local Butcher’ holds these subtleties, but also charges in its more aggressive notions of presentation. With a tonal return to the start of the album, moments of the guitar work in this track are purely haunting, with both isolated moments and screeches carrying this feeling. From a fast-paced start to a slow and nasty breakdown, this song really has it all. Finishing off with some harrowing and vile pig squeals, the fire is not merely sparked, but is burning hard.
The halfway point of Everyone's A Murderer is met with ‘Vegan Day of Violence’. Desperate wails rapidly turn into assured growls, an immediate story of victimization to self-preservation. Thematically, the song takes the form of a Purge-like storyline; 24 hours where murder is justified, a validation of retaliation against the cowardice. The end result is utterly brutal, all of which stems from the visceral imagery that seeps from the lyrics. The cymbal taps in this are intoxicating, adding a sharp attention grabber that keeps you, as a listener, on your toes. What is also to be applauded, not just in this piece, but the whole album, is Dane’s continued vocal growth that has led to moments of great duality, depth, and desperation. From the early beginnings to now, his vocal prowess is something that has so evidently flourished, and this album is truly showcasing it in all facets.
‘Gaschamber P.T.’ follows suit as another short but powerful addition to the album. However, all its other aspects take a complete shift from its counterparts. It opens sombrely, with an isolated guitar reverberating lone strums, only briefly accompanied by a static voice of exposition. The song is reminiscent of old-school deathcore roots, it feels like a homage, conjuring feelings of loss and reflection- apt for the content explored through the static voice- sharing stories of cruelty and violence. The track is a powerful moment of self-reflection, but more so, an ample opportunity for the instrumentals to shine. By the final moments, the voiceover is drowned out by yearning drums, pleading symbols, and soul-bearing guitar. Testament to the band’s storytelling, vocals are not needed to express stories or feelings, but every instrument acts as its own vessel. This is a powerful display of such a feat, and is quite a show-stopping moment from this album. As the question “will you stand on the right side of history” echoes out, you are left to sit and ponder with a weight of guilt and consciousness upon you.
‘Made in Aus’ is next! And it is nothing short of electrifying. Fast-paced and absolutely crazy, there is consistently a whirlwind of sound and multiple things commanding your attention at every second. Once again, we see an interpolation of more static news voiceovers, which adds a sincere and reality-checking depth to the track. ‘Made In Aus’ is the crux of Everyone's A Murderer. There is so much experimentation within the one song; tonal shifts that are swift and unexpected, the adoption of hardcore adjacent beats, surprising and face-scrunching instrumental moments of isolation and cutoff, as well as full-throttle vocals. This is a statement that marks the next step for To The Grave, and the story of the album itself- one that sees the band enter a new realm of creativity, fluctuating through sound to capture their identity in new ways that invigorate and invite. It may be an early call, but ‘Made In Aus’ may just be one of the best songs this band has put out.
The features continue as Animal Rights Activist Sophie Wilchers joins the crew for ‘Eight Four One Six’. The addition of Wilcher's voice is nothing short of angelic, and so too, is a declaration of the band’s unwavering passion. Sophie is best known for her steadfast and unrelenting passion for animal activism and environmentalism, a dedication that engulfs her poignant performance with a siren-like radiance. In the moments where she harmonizes with Dane’s growls, the dichotomy between this sweet fragility, and animalistic brutality is truly something awe-inspiring. Her voice is not merely a feature, but an absolute asset to this track, and album. Apart from the stunning vocals, ‘Eight Four One Six’ is unique in its various tempo changes and moments of brief instrumental isolation, constantly shifting the gears of comfort to make you question and fill you with unease. So too, the moments of whisperings become louder than the gutturals, touching you in evocative ways. It is a beautiful listen, and is one of the clear standouts from Everyone's A Murderer!
A consistent radar beep sirens as ‘Terrormiltary’ takes center stage. Producing the deepest, most impassioned, and most breathtaking performance yet. Consistently burrowing into the depths of his very soul, there is not a moment where the vocals do not feel laced with the very magma produced in hell. At the same time, the performance is breathy and sharp, with air escaping from between gritted teeth- a surefire sign of excessive rage and genuine, seething anger. There is a weight embedded into this, a causation that is littered through the very desperation and retaliation this song explores. Anger turns into pure filth when Evans bellows a hefty and barbaric snort, dramatically descending into a painful growl that only concludes when his own breath runs out- a deep and troubling metaphor.
Concluding the album is ‘Dead Wrong’. Employing the help of Micheal Kearney (Empty Cages and 10 To The Chest), the track is a formidable matchup of the most haunting vocals within the scene, each voice forcing its counterpart to descend into even more hellish and mutilated soundscapes. ‘Dead Wrong’ speeds into its intro, with deep and blaring drums drawing you in from the moment the play button is pressed. Not before long, a series of guttural growls welcomes you into the world of visceral imagery; painting lenses of blood and guts seeping around you. The closer, at many moments, diverts from the regularites of deathcore, instead housing elements that almost sound thematically punk, and add an ounce of energy to the grizzly topic at hand. Instrumentally, ‘Dead Wrong’ spirals into intoxicating moments of pure craftsmanship and exciting riffage, especially towards the breakdown, where the guitar takes center stage. If that wasn’t enough to capture, deep and penetrating kick drums, fighting along heavy bass chugs will leave you unable to focus on anything else. Just before the breakdown hits, a rhythmic heart monitor guides you towards it. A harsh reminder that places the song back into a realm of reality, emphasizing the real-life consequences that arise from the conversations taking place. Closing out on iconic and guttural pig squeals, the messages ring out in a chilling way.
In its ten offerings, Everyone's A Murderer sees To The Grave master their craft, and their moral mainframe. Unpredictable and dichotomous, To The Grave have found themselves exploring the deepest parameters of deathcore, moving the fence posts and creating their own unique brand- a move that has seen them create a sound that is personal to them, and now, signature to their creative exploration. So too, the album is a gruesome and guttural expose to the systematic cruelty that exists behind shut-off lenses and closed steel doors.
Taking no measures for self-preservation, To The Grave present themselves at their most unveiling, fed-up, and heroic. As an intense fan of Director’s Cuts, I found myself questioning how the band could step up. It took mere moments to see that that album was a mere taste of what was to come. Everyone’s A Murderer hosts some of To The Grave’s best work to date, and will see them hailed as pioneers of not only the new wave of deathcore, but hailed as champions of activism within the scene and beyond.
To The Grave – Everyone’s A Murderer tracklisting
1. Set Yourself On Fire (In Public)
2. DxE Or Die
3. A Body For A Body ft. Connor Dickson & Siantelle Johns
4. Burn Your Local Butcher
5. Vegan Day Of Violence
6. Gaschamber P.T.
7. Made In Aus
8. Eight Four One Six ft. Sophie Wilcher
9. Terrormilitary
10. Dead Wrong ft. Michael Kearney
Rating: 10/10
Everyone’s A Murderer is out August 30th via Unique Leader Records! Pre-order here
Review by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002
