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BEARTOOTH
BELOW
Album Review

(25th June 2021)

Review by Kayla Hamilton

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BEARTOOTH // PHOTO CREDIT: JOHANN RAMOS

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“It rips!” – Stereogum

“Bursting with style, substance, and flair” – Loudwire

“Next level heavy” – Knotfest

“‘Below’ is deliberately heavier than anything Beartooth have ever done” – NME

“After going to hell and back, Beartooth come into their own once more and deliver their most raw, honest and raucous offerings to date” – Rock Sound

“Full of brutal breakdowns, this record is a headbanger from start to finish” – Upset

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Not re-inventing the wheel, but rather putting together a concoction of the best parts of the genres that reside under the heavy music umbrella – BEARTOOTH’s new album Below can be described as a heavy music tapestry. This latest offering is a blistering combination of aggression, angst and rawness draped over a backdrop of mature songwriting. It takes a lot of care to be able to retain rawness while still delivering catchy and well-produced music, but BEARTOOTH has been able to nail it with this relief.

For those who have been missing the feeling of being at a live show, the way this album is written and put together makes you feel you are right there in the pit- sweating, moshing and screaming along in solidarity.

Starting strong with the title track Below, from the moment that feedback kicks in with the drums – you know you are ready to go off. It is catchy, heavy and hits all the right notes. Infectious, harsh vocals mixed with the cleans take what may have been more of a hardcore track but gives it a hard rock feel. Takes the catchiness of more pop-punk but does not lose the edge. Driving straight into Devastation, there is nothing better than gang vocals and a sing-along chorus. The breakdown is superb, so don’t even try to not bang your head while listening to this one.

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By the time we get to The Past is Dead, it’s really hard to not sing the praises of Caleb Shomo. Not only did he produce, mix and master this album, his vocals especially on this track embody the emotion and pleading of the lyrics. Making this track everything you want in an angsty heartbreak anthem from a band like Beartooth. The drums are also the real unsung hero of this track, the switch between almost synthesised sounding to being raw sounding in parts takes it to another level.

The next two tracks capture the diverse influence that drives this album. Fed Up is a classic modern punk track. Fast guitars, fast drums and aggressive vocals. The feedback, distortion and heavy drums make it that song you want to turn up and shout at the top of your lungs too. The breakdown is only topped by the breakdown in the following track, Dominate. The ending of this track starts to lean to more metal/hardcore and then Dominate takes the mood and runs with it. The guitars shine with a riff that will get stuck in your head instantly. There is nothing better than drums that sound inhumanely possible to play that fast to the average listener.

By the time we get to No Return, we are really into the thick of it. Once again smashing that line between unique, catchy and heavy with the guitars. Has almost a numetal level of catchiness but with the attitude of a hardcore track. Phantom Pain follows up that mood as a real metalcore delight. Reminiscent of the early style of metalcore bands in the mid-’00s. It still has that right level of aggression that you want in your hardcore tracks with a well-timed guitar squeal being the icing on the cake. Just when you think it can’t get better…it closes down with an even heavier breakdown. One of the best tracks on the album.

In a different vein, Skin is devastatingly beautiful. It’s a track that you cannot help but sing straight away. There is nothing better than a track that can help you sing the pain away. With lyrics that many can relate to on so many levels, it just is that track. Be warned though, if you are listening to this album while driving, the next track Hell of It picks up the aggression and runs with it. Check your speedometer then pull over, put your car in park and just headbang and scream along.

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Continuing just how this album would make the perfect setlist, I Won’t Give It Up is so well placed. Listening to it, you can almost smell the sweat in the air and feel the adrenaline. If you aren’t the moshing type, then you can certainly imagine standing at the back, drink in hand and half dancing/half headbanging to a track like this…screaming along, hand in the air and pointing.

One of the final tracks on the album, The Answer is heartfelt, sincere and beautifully honest. Caleb’s voice doesn’t lose its power when he sings cleanly, more so it is his harsh vocals that add that extra element and level of emotion to his expression. The breakdown almost has a prog metal feel to it, showing that the versatility of the guitarists and influences. Taking us out though, The Last Riff is truly the perfect ending. With a slow build into something intense that feels like an encore to a live show, it is phenomenal. The distortion goes right into the bones with the looseness of the drums just adding another element of power. Driving bass and just intensity. That slow but heavy feeling that gives you chills, the addition of a symphonic element just elevates the whole moment.

If you a fan of heavy music in any capacity, this album delivers. It is evident just how much thought and care went into creating and curating Below and shows just how much BEARTOOTH has grown and matured.

BEARTOOTH are:

Caleb Shomo — Vocals
Zach Huston — Guitars
Will Deely — Guitars
Oshie Bichar — Bass
Connor Denis — Drums

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Below is available here.

BELOW
Tracklisting:

01. Below
02. Devastation
03. The Past Is Dead
04. Fed Up
05. Dominate
06. No Return
07. Phantom Pain
08. Skin
09. Hell Of It
10. I Won’t Give It Up
11. The Answer
12. The Last Riff

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Follow BEARTOOTH
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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Press Release 25th June 2021 (below) HERE

BEARTOOTH
release new album
BELOW

Out today via RED BULL RECORDS

Band drops video for SKIN

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AMNPLIFY – DB