Of Virtue – Sinner
Release Date: 12th August 2022
Label: Arising Empire
Pre-Save
Genre: Metalcore, Melodic Hardcore, Alternative Metal.
FFO: Wage War, Bad Omens, VRSTY, Bring Me The Horizon, Woe is Me.
Review By: Kara Ketchum
The poster boys for Midwestern metalcore Of Virtue are back with the fruits of their pandemic toiling. Sinner is an EP that showcases the best of this Michigan quartet – their heavy, chaotic sound and positive attitudes. Coming off the heels of their 2019 album What Defines You (with a deluxe release in 2020), it’s interesting to hear how many things progress yet stay the same amidst global turmoil.
The first track, “Hypocrite” starts off strong in an electronic opening reminiscent of the latter half of 2010’s metalcore, while barrelling into an impressive showcase between vocalists Damon Tate and Tyler Ennis. The track is short and trim and definitely leaves the listener wanting more.
The title song “Sinner” follows up with melodic crooning with a bite. While the song isn’t slow, per se, it’s definitely not as heavy as track one. Far from being a fault, “Sinner” is a pleading for peace from some force that is better left in the past, than allowing it to cause trouble in the now. The feeling of the song is nostalgic, but from the perspective of being now wiser.
The raw emotion is carried into the third track “Cold Blooded” however, here there is definitely a mixture of filmic horror elements. With sound bits that could be confused for heavy breaths and a dynamic drum performance by Ryan Trinh, the pacing almost feels like the final moment of a movie where the protagonist wins.
Last, but certainly not least, is “Echoes” is a track that speaks to what many people have grappled with the past few years – loneliness and a desire for support. Straddling that space between a ballad and a dirge with a higher RPM, the lows of the string section of Damon Tate and Michael Valadez bring this track to a melancholy that can only be an honest outpouring of emotion.
This EP is, personally, what an EP should be: a sampling of everything you can do. The overall sense of the release is cinematic and carries a strength that I can only hope will be reflected in any upcoming Of Virtue full length.
(4.5 / 5)
