Album Preview: ‘No Horizon’ by Never Known
‘No Horizon’ Cover Artwork. via/by Never Known
Artist: Never Known
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Independent
Reviewed Music: ‘No Horizon’ (LP, Sept 4th, 2020) 9 Tracks (41 min)
“_” (1:14)
“Horizon” (3:47)
“Spare Me” (3:23)
“Strychnine” (4:07)
“Half Life (Feat Thomas Rushton)” (3:30)
“Mend” (4:38)
“DNR” (3:35)
“Quiet Pills” (2:52)
“Tresspass (Feat Teddy Romeyn)” (4:41)
“Swine” (3:56)
“Toska” (6:11)
Review of ‘No Horizon’ (LP, Sept 4th, 2020) by Never Known
Bathed in a dousing ray of instrumentals, the soundscape ignites with mounting tension - distressing the very fibers of existence as serene tones rumble over listener’s eardrums. Underscoring a fairly subdued start for the solo New England metalcore act, Never Known and their upcoming LP, embers catch flame as the driving beat of ‘Horizon’ breaks. Ahead lies a story birthed of sorrow, a book transcribed with anxiety and fear, yet a channeled determination which focuses on the beyond - as listeners brace for an experience titled, '‘No Horizon’.
“..No moment of mercy,
no love left alive,
no reason to survive…”
-Excerpt from 'Horizon' by Never Known
Cascading riffs are drowned only by darkened lyrics of despair as ‘Horizon’ drones and dissipates into the swirling tones as “Spare Me” begins. Seamless transitions such as this are frequently utilized across the forthcoming album as Never Known strives to establish a full immersion for the rising tide ahead. Reminiscent of a ~2010 Haste The Day and We Came As Romans sound within the initial tracks, “Spare Me” maintains a unique ignorance as searing vocals press forward into the roaring guitar. Resounding lyrics: “You stand for nothing, you fell for everything” brand themselves into hearts and minds of all who hear.
“…The lyrics are pretty pessimistic through a lot of the tracks, but I certainly wanted to convey a message that there is hope, but you are going to have to create it. You deserve to feel angry, you deserve to feel hurt, but you also deserve to channel that into doing something…” - Corwin Bermudez (The Dear Untitled Podcast - Episode #35)
A defined structure of interludes and steady pressure dictates every moment across ‘No Horizon’. “Strychnine” showcases a range of vocal prowess we had yet to see from Corwin Bermudez until now - sliding effortlessly out of the coarse hardcore verse into a soaring choral barrage. The dissonant guitar tone literally succumbs to the sound of lapping flames, as a muffled advisory radio broadcast calls for resident evacuation from various locales to escape the scorching onslaught to come. “Half Life” is exactly that: a frenetic warning and acceptance of an ever-leering end. Marked by a broad spectrum of vocals, varied assortment of audio clips, and compositional arrangements, Never Known continues to impress on the initial span of this eleven track journey. Unspoken beauty and the calming release of “Mend” is a much needed reprieve, however timely segments ripple across the suspended transitions, blurring the“Mend”, “DNR”, and “Quiet Pills” - intentionally triggering the unavoidable landslide of escalating assault the epilogue tracks hold.
“…The blood is on your hands,
the blood is on your hands,
the freedom you don’t have,
the blood is on your hands
Tyranny is here watch you all bow down,
stack the bodies up on your hallowed ground..”-Excerpt from “Quiet Pills” by Never Known
Confronting charged nationalistic disillusion and toxic religious values, “Trespass” and “Swine” relentlessly attack the perverse nature of these divisive sects embroiled within the very principals of our existence. Sworn to “protect and defend”, blind faith and entrenched allegiance to fascist and capitalistic entities has established a foundation of hate, distrust, and anger on which the current society resides. Fear runs rampant. Concerns regarding humans who do not share the privileged heritage, and do not look like us, will harm our personal well-being and are unfit to remain - leading to the abhorrent campaign to “..Build the wall..” (See “Swine”) Obviously, nobody reading or listening to this review came here specifically for a lecture on current global climates, however Bermudez utilizes his understood privilege and platform of Never Known to critically undermine this mindset with deftly voiced, unfettered rage. Music is topical and political - always has been and always will be.
"…The record was built out of sort of tremendous frustration and anxiety that built up from watching the past 4 years of the political landscape, the social landscape of not only America but also the world and how it kind of unfolded...Its definitely trying to capture this feeling of 'things are really bad, but that's not a good reason to give up' ...its something that needs to be acknowledged and be allowed to feel that, but it also needs to be channeled into being productive and protecting what you care about and being involved in what you care about..." - Corwin Bermudez (The Dear Untitled Podcast - Episode #35)
“Toska” - a Russian word meaning “a feeling of spiritual anguish or longing without knowing what you're longing for” - instrumentally book-ends ‘No Horizon’, which concludes this powerful soundscape. A threaded compendium of encouraging audio clips, vocals, and vibrant moments exhale a collective sigh of exasperation and relief within this atmospheric piece. Shattered remnants of hope glisten and bleed across the page, awaiting those willing to take action. Even when all feels lost, hope, love, and peace can never be silenced.
Situating this upcoming album as an unfiltered transcription to listeners and a call to arms for his colleagues and peers, words cannot begin to justly convey the depth and poignant mastery Corwin Bermudez crafted within this LP. Addressing political turmoil while simultaneously grappling with generational insecurities, ‘No Horizon’ by Never Known is undoubtedly a musical cornerstone - bearing the guilt and exhaustion of a society’s spiraling descent into madness. - Nic B
FFO: Haste The Day, Architects, We Came As Romans, Anchorlines, As Cities Burn, Asking Alexandria