StatuesNo Grave, No Burial

The Australian heavy music scene has clearly ushered in a new era of experimentation. Embracing far-reaching influences and aesthetics, the scene has formulated an identity that is distinctly Australian, separating itself from the at times suffocating confines of all things ‘core’.

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Statues, have received the memo, and have delved into every potential nook and cranny the world of breakdowns, monolithic riffs and mosh-worthy singalongs is capable of. By combining the best in what currently heavy music has to offer, No Grave, No Burial is a celebration of emotionally and musically brutal hardcore, embellished with a highly sophisticated sense of melody and structure.

No Grave, No Burial is a conglomerate of influences melded together in a combo deal of throwdown, no-bullshit hardcore riffage, seering aggressive vocals and vibrant instrumentals. Sirens features an ethereal and atmospheric interlude that culminates in a punishing breakdown. It is a showcase of everything that makes Australian hardcore great—overwhelmingly catchy and its crux, a statement regarding how often, the ‘heaviest’ music isn’t necessarily the most downtuned or performatively over the top, but a display of unadulterated catharsis.

“No Grave, No Burial is a celebration of emotionally and musically brutal hardcore, embellished with a highly sophisticated sense of melody and structure.”

Defiance is a prime example of further experimentation, opting for their take on the nu metal revival with a choppy breakdown that’d put Korn (or Ocean Grove, depending on how old you are) to shame. Unrest is a djenty feast with nu metal-esque ‘I’m a madman don’t fuck with me vocals’ that make for a dizzying journey of washy cymbals and throwdown drumming. Taking cues from the Code Orange book of incorporating 90s alternative rock into a hardcore album, Dirge is a trip down grunge lane, the album’s most anthemic hook. The emotional apex comes in the form of the painfully melancholic and distressing title track where descending, dissonant chord runs and droning high notes provide an unsettling equilibrium underneath the soaring, anguished vocals.

In a climate that is overwhelmingly embracing of the more weird and wonderful, Statues will see themselves slowly but surely enter the highest echelons of Australian heavy music. No Grave, No Burial is a testament to a dynamic scene and a band who are ready transcend the realms of genre boundaries.

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STANDOUT TRACKS: Unrest, Sirens, No Grave, No Burial