Review || Bring Back Persephone - "Dead Man's Hand"

After a few singles, EPs and lineup changes Athens based melodic hardcorers Bring Back Persephone have just released their first full-length studio album called “Dead Man's Hand”. It's the band's follow up to the 2016 effort “Revival”. In this 11-song album BBP seem to pull influence from everywhere possible and have put their own aesthetics on the sound. The first sample came out as a music video, titled “Good Morning Failure”, in late September 2019 and worked perfectly to embody the feel of the whole album.

Things kick off with the two minute atmospheric intro song “Heavens Night”. “Ethos” is the first actual song on the album and it sets the tone for the rest of the record. It's heavy, passionate, atmospheric and it even shows a darker side of the band, never seen before. Hammering melodic hardcore guitars, polished vocal lines with transitions from earthshaking screams to affluent cleans and solid well-written drums throughout the project are sure to cast well in a live scenario. There's also a pretty big name that guests on this album. You might recognize the vocals of  Scott Danough from Bleeding Through during the 4th song titled “Long Live (not) the King of Kings”. The highlight of the album in my opinion comes midway through with the catchy track “Old Maui”, followed by a personal favorite, “Dead Sun”, which quickly caught my attention. The record flows very well and the energy doesn't let up for the next four songs. The production is very meticulous, making the sound sterile and very robust. Each song of the album is unique in its own way and in it's rightful place. And a quick trivia; the ending track is the re-released 2017 banger of a single, “Route 66” and it's definitely the perfect closer for the record on quite a melancholic melody. 

On the whole, “Dead Man's Hand” is a well-crafted debut album, exploring new and darker musical directions on the band's sound. Clocking in at around 35 minutes it leaves you wanting more. If you're into melodic hardcore, alternative metalcore or anything like that I don't think you should sleep on it.

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