This Calling – Methods Of Protest LP (Black Star Foundation)

This Calling is an uprising Hungarian melodic hardcore act comprised of the members who learned secrets of the craft through previous work at renowned bands such as Bridge To Solace, Poison Alley, and The Idoru. As far as I am informed, Methods Of Protest is their debut full-length album constituted of eleven incredible compositions. Perhaps This Calling leans towards the contemporary melodic hardcore sound, but there’s a definite old school skate punk touch added like cherry over the top. Besides enormous dosages of crushing dynamics, This Calling solely relies upon marvelously executed shreddings, saturated with pleasant harmonizations throughout the entire recording. The complete group manages to maintain an aggressive approach to melodic hardcore punk throughout the entire album but occasionally breaks it down with ear-appealing pop-punk segments. These segments have been highlighted by beautiful chants, empowered by compelling singalongs. Despite being driven by skate punk aesthetics, these melodic chants gradually transit into more ferocious shoutouts, where the arrangements demand transitions from a calmful to a more aggressive vocal articulation. These transitions resulted in a very dynamic record that floats between the late nineties skate punk sound, and contemporary melodic hardcore aesthetics. Guitar works go beyond compression through vigorous riffage turnovers, immensely detailed harmonizations, and delicate additions comprised of various progressions. These shreddings have been soaked into warm sounding basslines, which provide massive support for all the virtuosities contributed by guitars. These comprehensive instrumentations have been enhanced by completely insane drumming acrobatics. By a closer examination, This Calling resembles the sound of renowned bands such as Boysetsfire, Alexisonfire, Thrice, Comeback Kid, A Wilhelm Scream, Rise Against, plus many more who incorporated gracious servings of complex melodies into their music. Methods Of Protest unquestionably showcases a cross-section of Hungarian melodic hardcore punk scene and puts This Calling as the true representatives of the genre. Methods Of Protest will be available on the vinyl by Black Star Foundation from Sweden, but you can check out the entire album at This Calling Bandcamp page.