Future Palace – Run
Release Date: 10th June 2022
Label: Arising Empire
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Hardcore, Post-Hardcore, Power Pop.
FFO: Flyleaf, Eyes Set to Kill, VersaEmerge, Holding Absence, Spiritbox, While She Sleeps, Bring Me The Horizon, PVRIS, Linkin Park, Sleeping With Sirens, We Came As Romans.
Review By: Kara Ketchum
Future Palace better be on your radar. With their sophomore release Run, the trio melodic hardcore outfit shows us they aren’t joking around. Rightfully so, as this album is about heartbreak, loss, and escaping a toxic relationship. The album also lays the groundwork on how to pick yourself up after these intense situations, producing an album full of passion and intensity.
To start this narrative, the album opens with “Paradise,” a masterclass in melodic hardcore. Maria’s vocals belong in the pantheon of the great female vocalists of the genre that came before her such as Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez from Eyes Set to Kill, Lacey Sturm, previously of Flyleaf, and Sierra Kay, previously of VersaEmerge. The instrumentals and some vocal effects are reminiscent of Bring Me The Horizon’s critically acclaimed release amo so, even with only one song in, I knew this album would be in frequent rotation.
Sliding into the second track “Dead Inside”, I feel an immediate nostalgia for 2010’s melodic hardcore, but then am immediately swept to the present with another charged performance from Maria (I seriously can not get enough of her voice.) The song builds up into a punch – with well-placed bricks from the instrumentals of Manuel (guitar) and Johannes (drums) into a wall of sound. Every component of the song plays their own part without muddling the neighbor.
An ominous start on “Flames”, the third song, turns into a tasteful, blended approach of metal and hip hop. As the song plays out, it settles into the rock genre, but the marrying of elements is a refreshing change of pace. I do think it’s reductive to compare female-fronted bands only to other female-fronted bands, and with that said, I think anyone who loved Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory and Meteora would tip their hat to this performance.
While playing the fourth song on the release “Locked” I can imagine how Future Palace would have fit right in with the Warped Tour circuit, playing next to bands like Sleeping with Sirens and We Came As Romans. The song is rowdy, emotional, and punctuated with poignant lyrics accentuated with appropriate vocal effects. Similarly, track five “Heads Up” seems to be a love letter to aforementioned Bring Me The Horizon’s amo. This song really puts Maria’s vocal range on full display, with some of the most aggressive growls on the album.
Despite the next song’s title “Sleep Tight”, I can’t imagine sleeping on this anthem. The ending is a slow-down on a go-go-go album, offering a chance to breathe. The reprieve is short-lived before “Defeating Gravity”, which does start calmly, erupts into a directive on how to find your own value and power through to a stronger version of yourself.
“Roses”, the eighth installment, is a defiant look in the eye of “Melancholia”, a malevolent force dragging the heartbroken into a helpless state. As one of the most dynamic songs on the release, this is possibly my favorite on the album. However, picking a favorite is exceptionally tough, especially when being followed up with “Wounds.” This song is raw and vulnerable. It displays some of the unfortunate truths of being in a relationship that isn’t good for you – internal conflict, breakdown of trust, and disarming moments of weakness.
Even though the serious lyrical motif carries into “A World in Tears”, it’s hard not to bop your head along to this pop-influenced track. Definitely a turn in pace, but still a fascinating arrangement that I could see opening a Netflix anime. This more cinematic approach carries into the penultimate track “Loco Loco”. Laden with melodic ups-and-downs, the listener is pulled in every direction, fitting for the title.
In the final song, “Fever”, I can really hear some of the aspects that make European metal so much more fun than most American releases. While some bands concentrate on being the heaviest, this track has a dance beat weaved in through it, and then is mimicked by the instruments. This upbeat proclamation announces the end of suffering, and casting off things that no longer serve.
Overall, I love this album. It ticks all my boxes of being authentic and fun, while sonically sound. The lyrics are such a huge part of what makes this release so dynamic and meaningful. Run is truly a gem – something that can be listened to front-to-back, no skips. 
(5 / 5)
