First Flame – Beneath The Surface LP (Geenger Records)

The day has finally come! Serbian melodic hardcore band First Flame released their second full-length album, Beneath The Surface, via Geenger Records today. Those who paid close attention to these pages have probably heard Reflection, All Angels, and Found, three excellent compositions launched as a sneak peek into the album earlier this year. The band already sounded magnificent, which I can assure you, judging by their live shows I attended in the past, but they improved their sound even more. They are pushing and shapeshifting the boundaries of genre as much as possible, and Beneath The Surface is more than rock-solid proof of their efforts. For those unfamiliar with these folks, perhaps melodic hardcore serves as the starting point, but you’ll notice many other subgenres along the way. First Flame consists of band members who have played in many hardcore bands in the past, so their eclectic musical taste allows them to experiment with youth crew, hardcore, hardcore punk, metalcore, metal, etc. These experimentations resulted in a versatile material that positions them at the very top of the regional hardcore scene.

It has been a while since any hardcore band released anything even remotely close to Beneath The Surface. Of course, many bands in the past tried and ultimately succeded in their aims to emulate something that Western European and US bands played for years, but it seems that First Flame fully understands that melodic hardcore as a genre has to push some boulders up to the hill and make some significant changes. Some sacrifices, changes, and experimentations needed to be made, so this record wouldn’t sound like another hybrid from the past. With years of experience, knowledge, skills, talent, ideas, and musicianship on their backs, First Flame were more than up to the task, and they even outstanded themselves in their aims. Therefore, Beneath The Surface pays homage to traditional melodic hardcore but also showcases many innovations that will unquestionably appeal to even those die-hard, picky longtime fans of the genre. While this full-length release will undoubtedly suit all those listeners already familiar with their music, it will gather many new fans thanks to their improved sound.

First Flame and Geenger Records wisely picked Reflections, All Angels, and Found as sneak peeks into the material. These songs demonstrate all the innovations the band has included, but they’re not the only highlights of the material. Quite the contrary, tracks like We Still Believe, Waiting, Surrender, On The Edge, Why Can’t You Hear Me Screaming, Unbreakable, and The Last One showcase their signature moves empowered with powerful lead vocals, cleverly implemented back vocals and singalongs, wisely arranged melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, riffs, leads, and other sonic maneuvers. They had all these qualities before, but this time they thoroughly worked on it and uplifted all these instrumentations on an entirely new level. The vividly hearable, equally complex low-end notes deliver more than necessary heaviness, depth, and clarity, while the outstanding drumming performance based upon thoroughly planned beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics dictate groove and pace but also keep the remainder of instrumentations in line.

Of course, this is just a tiny portion of what you might expect from First Flame and Beneath The Surface. I must mention the exceptional, contemplative, reflective, meaningful, wisely written lyrics that completely round this material in one unified form. The album arrives on a standard black vinyl housed in a hefty vinyl jacket decorated with a powerful cover artwork, signifying the duality of an individual. You should unquestionably put Beneath The Surface on your radar because it’s fully stacked with wise lyricism, mindblowing musicianship, and top-notch production. It’s one of the best melodic hardcore albums you’ll hear this year. Head to the Geenger Records for more information about ordering.